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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


The  John  J.  and  Hanna  M.  McManus 

Morris  N.  and  Chesley  V.  Young 

Collection 


THE  ADVENTUROUS  LIFE 
OF  A  VERSATILE  ARTIST 

HOUDINI 


THE  WORLD  FAMOUS  SELF-LIBERATOR 

HOUDINI, 

Presenting  the  Greatest  Performance  of  his  Strenuous  Career, 
liberating  himself  after  being  Locked  in  a 

WATER  TORTURE  CELL 

(Houdini's  own  Invention)  whilst  Standing  on  his  Head,  his 

.Ankles  Clamped  and  Locked  above  in  the  centre  of  the 

Massive  Cover. 


A  FEAT  WHICH  BORDERS  ON  THE  SUPERNATURAL 


$1,000 


HOUDINI  offers  this  sum  to  any  one  proving  that  it  is 

possible  to  obtain  air  in  the  upside-down  position  in 

which  he  releases  himself  from  this 

Water       Filled       Torture       Cell. 

LOAN  STACK 

GIFT 


*tH 


I J**- 


6rV 


Six  Million  of  these  Books  in  circulation        , 
since  1900,  in  various  Forms,  Editions  and     pS 
Languages. 

HOUDINI  vl 

THE  ADVENTUROUS  LIFE  OF 
A  VERSATILE  ARTIST.        ::     :: 
(Revised  1922  Edition) 


HARRY  HOUDINI,  "the  World's  Handcuff  King  and 
amazing   Prison    Breaker,"  a    title    universally  and 
unanimously  bestowed  upon  him,  has  had  a  career 
as  adventurous  and  romantic  as  the  most  imaginative 
writer  could  possibly  conjure. 

Indeed,  this  wonderful  genius,  with  a  science  concerning 
bolts,  bars,  locks,  and  chains  that  will  yet  revolutionize  the 
world's  methods  of  safeguarding  itself  against  "  the  men  that 
prowl  in  the  night,"  confirms  the  truth  of  the  ancient  adage 
that  "truth  is  stranger  than  fiction." 

Just  remember  for  a  moment  that  he  is  the  man  to  whom 
the  shrewdest  police,  the  sharpest  detectives,  and  the  most 
watchful  jail  wardens  look  with  awe  and  anxiety. 

And  they  are  eminently  right  in  this  attitude  of  disquiet, 
because  they  know  that  buried  in  the  brain  of  Houdini  lies  the 
secret  of  an  unknown  power  he  alone  possesses  that  makes 
their  prisons  as  powerless  as  Japanese  screens,  and  renders 
their  multiple-locking  handcuffs,  leg  irons,  and  all  the  other 
prison  paraphernalia,  no  more  binding  than  store  twine. 

Suppose  the  innate  and  inherent  integrity  of  character  that 
Houdini  possesses,  in  common  with  most  men  brought  up 
within  the  circle  of  a  mother's  sweet  influence,  were  to  be 
swept  aside  by  the  desire  for  riches  not  his  own.  There  are 
many  men  of  many  millions  to-day  whose  money  is  not  their 
own.  Suppose  he  should  be  captured  by  a  band  of  desperate 
men  determined  to  wrest  from  Houdini  this  secret  worth  mil- 
lions. Suppose  a  great  hypnotist  were  to  obtain  dominance 
over  this  mystery-enveloped  genius  and  use  his  baneful 
powers  for  evil  designs.     What. then? 

A  slight  knowledge  of  the  marvels  Houdini  has  accom- 
plished mixed  with  a  little  imagination  would  create  as  many 
more  suppositions  of  this  kind  as  this  book  could  contain. 

\ 


866 


But,  to  be  brief,  admitting  the  possibility  of  the  happening 
of  any  of  these  suppositious  instances,  and  you  will  gain  a 
clear  idea  of  the  extraordinary  character  and  quality  oi  Hou- 
dini's  powers.  Pt  is  often  the  best  way  to  see  the  full  scope  ui 
a  cause  by  carefully  ascertaining  its  effect.  This  analytical 
method  is  equally  applicable  to  Houdini,  and.  recognizing 
the  harm  he  would  receive  w7ere  his  secrets  confided  to  un- 
worthy hands,  you  gain  an  adequately  impressive  idea  of  the 
enormity  of  responsibility  that  rests  upon  him. 

Time  and  time  again  Houdini  has  encountered  such  perils, 
and  in  every  case  he  owes  his  life  and  the  preservation  of  his 
secret  to  his  extraordinary  acuteness  of  perception,  to  his  mar- 
velous knowledge  of  human  nature,  to  his  physical  prowess 
that  is  far  greater  than  appears  from  a  merely  superficial  in- 
spection, and,  last  and  greatest  of  all,  to  the  fact  that  the 
majority  of  people  witnessing  his  w<onders  attribute  a  quasi 
supernatural  power. 

His  press  clipping  books  teems  wTith  stories  proving  the 
truth  of  one  and  all  of  these  assertions.  To  glance  over  its 
pages  enchains  the  reader's  attention  more  closely  that  if  he 
were  absorbing  an  exciting  romance.  Accounts  of  thrilling  jail- 
breaking  feats  are  pasted  beside  stirring  chronicling  of  hand- 
cuff escapes.  Columns  upon  columns  of  laudatory  press  criti- 
cisms crowd  colored  cartoons  and  caricatures  that  connect 
Houdini  and  the  great  men  of  Europe  in  the  great  political 
crisis  of  the  last  few  years. 

It  being  true  "that  genius  is  but  the  capacity  for  hard  work," 
then  it  is  only  a  proper  introductory  tribute  to  Houdini  to  state 
that  he  is  not  a  mushroomgrowth,  sprouting  and  decaying  in 
a  night. 

In  the  development  and  perfection  of  his  astounding  powers 
over  metallic  components  Houdini  has  labored  as  tirelessly  as 
Galileo  constructing  his  astronomical  theory,  as  Stephenson 
building  the  first  locomotive,  as  Edison  bringing  to  view  the 
telephone,  as  Marconi  revealing  the  wireless  telegraph. 

"How  does  he  do  it?"  is  the  universal  query. 

Of  course,  he  does  not,  he  dare  not  tell  wdiat  exertions  of 
power,  natural  or  supernatural,  he  makes  in  freeing  himself 
from  handcuffs,  and  in  escaping  from  the  dungeons  that  have 
held  felons  until  the  grave  finally  hid  them  forever. 

Guesses  are  multiplied  many,  many  times  by  all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  men  and  women.  As  many  theories  have  been 
propounded  as  there  are  stars  in  the  firmament.   Some  say  he 

2 


slips  out  of  handcuffs  like  an  eel  slipping  through  an  amateur 
fisherman's  fingers.  Others  say  he  manipulates  cell  locks  by 
muscular  magnetism.  A  third  class  declares  that  he  squeezes 
himself  through  bars  of  cells.  Still  more  say  spirits  aid  him  in 
hU  escapes.  And  so,  ad  infltum. 

Suffice  it  *is  to  say  that  Houdini  actually  does  all  that  the 
newspapers  credit  him  doing. 

He  was  born  April  6th,  1874,  in  Appleton,  Wis.,  and  a  little 
calculation  will  show  that  he  is  still  far  from  the  meridian  of 
life.  From  the  beginning  he  showed  an  insight  into  mechanics 
and  mechanism  that  may  be  compared  with  the  early  en- 
deavors of  other  men  who  have  wrought  wonders  in  the  name 
of  science.  He  showed  a  tendency  toward  travel,  too,  and  in 
his  ninth  year  had  a  brief  experience  with  Jack  Hoefler's  "five 
cent"  circus  in  his  home  town.  Then  came  an  apprenticeship 
as  a  mechanic,  and  after  an  uneventful  term  with  "the  tools  of 
trade"  Houdini  resolved  to  see  the  great  world  with  his  own 
eager  eyes.  So  he  ran  away  from  home,  as  so  many  others 
have  done  that  in  later  years  attributed  their  greatness  to  their 
early  contact  with  the  corrugated  side  of  life.  He  joined  a 
small  circus,  and,  being  exceptionally  bright,  he  soon  learned 
to  conduct  the  Punch  and  Judy  show,  to  do  a  ventriloquial  act, 
and  also  to  play  clown  on  the  bars.  It  may  be,  too,  that  "he 
doubled  in  brass"  or  played  in  the  band,  though  he  has  never 
said  so. 

Here  began  the  experiences  that  quickly  ripened  Houdini 
into  the  World's  Handcuff  King  and  Prison  Breaker,  which  he 
is,  has  been  and  always  will  be.  In  exploring  his  wits  for  ex- 
ploits to  amuse  and  entertain  the  audiences,  Ploudini  hit  upon 
the  feat  of  escaping  from  ropes  tied  round  him  in  every  con- 
ceivable way.  He  became  so  expert  that  he  eventually  offered 
a  challenge  of  $25  to  any  one  who  could  tie  him  so  that  he 
could  not  escape.  And  he  never  has  lost  a  cent  of  the  proffered 
money. 

Then  came  the  full  turning-point  in  his  career  when  he 
looked  for  greater  worlds  to  conquer,  and  began  the  mastery 
of  handcuffs,  leg  irons,  shackles,  etc.  Of  course,  proficiency 
came  with  practice  in  secret,  and  then  the  public  was  permitted 
to  witness  the  efforts  of  the  young  wizard. 

Houdini  went  to  England  without  an  engagement.  He  went 
to  Mr.  Slater,  manager  of  the  Alhambra,  London,  gave  several 


HOUDINI  AT  DIFFERENT  AGES  OF  HIS  CAREER 


trial  shows,  got  a  contract  for  two  weeks,  then  one  for  six 
months  at  £60  a  week. 

Since  then  he  has  been  a  top-of-the-bill  star  everywhere.  He 
has  made  enormous  salaries  on  the  continent,  where  he  is 
tremendously  popular.  He  has  broken  records  for  paid  ad- 
missions all  over  Continental  Europe.  In  the  week  he  per- 
formed before  the  Grand  Duke  of  Russia  he  earned  in  public 
and  private  performances  over  £400,  an  enormous  salary  in 
those  days. 

In  1905,  he  returned  to  America  for  a  brief  tour,  and  he 
became  at  once  the  sensation  in  every  city.  Jails  have  fallen 
before  his  power  like  cities  in  the  olden  time  before  the  armies 
of  Caesar.  The  police  of  America  join  the  gendarmerie  of 
Europe  in  declaring,  "Nothing  on  earth  can  hold  him  a  prison- 
er." All  the  strongest  cells  and  prisons  in  the  United  States 
have  succumbed  to  the  mysteriously  potent  force  he  exerts. 
Perhaps  his  most  historic  feat  was  his  escape  in  January, 
1906,  from  Cell  2,  Condemned  Murderers'  Row,  in  the  United 
States  Jail  at  Washington,  D.  C,  the  very  cell  in  which 
Guiteau,  the  assassin  of  President  Garfield  was  confined  until 
he  was  led  forth  to  be  hanged.  Another  great  work  was  his 
escape  from  double  confinements  in  the  Boston  Tombs  at 
Boston,  Mass.  March  20,  1906. 

Since  1908  Houdini  has  dropped  handcuffs,  and  has  made 
his  performance  replete  with  new  mysteries,  introducing  his 
original  invention — escaping  out  of  an  air-tight  galvanized 
iron  can  filled  with  water,  after  it  has  been  locked  into  an  iron 
bound  chest,  and  the  intricate  inexplicable  escape  from  the 
Water  Torture  Cell,  and  releasing  himself  from  a  regulation 
strait  jacket  in  full  view  of  the  audience,  and  during  the  week 
accepting  various  challenges. 

Any  reader  of  this  who  wishes  to  challenge  Houdini,  or  has 
any  novel  method  of  securing  Houdini,  must  write  to  publicly 
advertise  address  and  name  of  Challenger  or  Challengers.  No 
Challenge  can  be  accepted  for  same  date  on  which  it  is  sent. 


Instead  of  remaining  in  America  six  months  as  his  original 
contract  stipulated,  he  was  the  sensation  of  show  business 
from  his  opening  1905,  until  his  departure  for  Germany, 
August  1908. 

TTis  leap  from  the  Frederichstrasse  Bridge,  in  Berlin,  Ger- 
many, heavily  manacled,  September  5th,  1908;  his  daring 
plunge  into  the  Weser,  Bremen,  having  to  break  through  ice. 


NEW  YORK 


^sOP 


THE  GREAT  WHITE  WAY 


Psltis,  from  the  roof  of  the  gruesome  Morgue,  April  7th,  1909, 
brought  record  houses  at  the  Circus  Busch,  Berlin,  and  Alham- 
bra  Theatre,  Paris,  causing  his  imitators  to  try  and  duplicate 
his  feats.  Two  were  fortunately  saved  from  a  watery  grave, 
Alburtus,  in  Atlantic  City,  being  saved  by  the  life-saving 
guard,  Menkis  was  brought  up  in  an  unconscious  state,  and 
Ricardo  jumped  handcuffed  from  the  Luippold  Bridge,  Land- 
shut,  Bavaria,  April  14th,  1909,  and  was  drowned. 

Cold  waters  have  no  terrors  for  Houdini,  as  he  dived  man- 
acled into  the  Mersey  River,  Liverpool,  December  7th,  1908, 
also  in  the  Egbaston  Reservoir,  Birmingham,  December  15th, 
1908.  In  all  dives  Houdini  makes  use  of  the  regulation  police 
handcuffs,  chains,  and  leg  irons. 

Houdini  returned  to  America  again  in  1914,  just  before  the 
World  War,  toured  the  country,  appearing  for  two  seasons  at 
the  World's  biggest  Theatre,  the  New  York  Hippodrome,  the 
first  season  presenting  his  inventions,  The  Vanishing  El- 
ephant, in  which  he  caused  an  elephant  named  "Jennie"  to 
vanish,  who  weighed  over  ten  thousand  pounds,  and  said  to  be 
a  daughter  of  the  beloved  Barnum's  "Jumbo,"  and  in  the 
second  half  of  the  Hippodrome  show,  performing  the  Submar- 
ine Box  feat,  escaping  from  same  whilst  under  water,  and  the 
box  being  entirely  filled  with  water. 

Second  season,  introducing  the  Escape  from  Strait  Jacket, 
suspended  sixty  feet  in  mid-air,  hanging  by  his  ankles,  and 
presenting  for  the  first  time  on  any  stage  another  of  his  in- 
ventions, The  Whirlwind  of  Colors,  in  which  he  produced 
hundreds  of  yards  of  silks,  giant  flags,  and  for  a  finish  the  only 
tame  American  Eagle  of  this  decade.  It  is  known  that  Old 
Abe  was  a  tame  eagle,  used  by  the  Union  soldiers  as  a  mascot, 
but  this  Young  Abe,  trained  by  Houdini  is  the  only  one  known 
that  any  one  could  handle. 

Houdini  ga^e  his  services  to  the  Government,  giving  per- 
formances in  the  camps,  for  two  consecutive  years,  not  accept- 
ing engagements,  and  is  proud  of  the  fact  of  having  sold  over 
two  million  dollars  worth  of  liberty  bonds. 

The  years  of  1918,  1920  and  1921  he  became  a  Cinema  star, 
recognizing  the  fact  that  Dame  Nature  would  demand  her  due, 
and  that  the  future  generations  would  not  believe  that  any  man 
could  perform  the  feats  with  which  he  is  credited.  So  he  orig- 
inally went  into  a  company  to  produce  a  15  episode  serial, 
"The  Master  Mystery,"  making  such  a   sensational   success 


that  Mr.  Jesse  L.  Lasky  engaged  him  for  a  feature  picture, 
"The  Grim  Game,"  and  before  this  was  released,  Mr.  Lasky 
re-engaged  Houdini  for  a  second  picture,  "Terror  Island." 
Both  features  were  the  sensations  of  the  year. 

To  fulfill  contracts  made  eight  years  before  Houdini,  in  Janu- 
ary, 1920,  returned  to  England  for  a  tour  of  the  principal  music 
halls.  So  great  was  his  success  that  even  his  former  triumphs 
were  eclipsed.  Throngs  followed  him. whenever  he  appeared 
on  the  streets  of  the  provincial  towns  of  Great  Britain.  He 
broke  house  record  after  house  record,  drawing  such  box 
office  returns  that  the  Moss  Empires  management  waived  its 
right  to  hold  him  to  the  figure  named  in  the  eight  year  old  con- 
tract and  voluntarily  doubled  his  salary. 

Upon  his  return  to  America  Houdini  organized  his  own  film 
producing  company  of  which  more  will  be  told  in  subsequent 
pages. 


OFFICIAL  POLICE  NEWS  FROM  GERMANY! 

HARRY  HOUDINI,  THE  AMERICAN  HANDCUFF  KING,  SUES 
THE  COLOGNE  POLICE  FOR  LIBEL,  AND  WINS ! ! ! 

A  Condensed  History  of  the  Lawsuit  Against  the  Cologne  Police  I 

The  police  of  Germany  are  very  strict  in  matters  of  false 
billing  or  misrepresenting  exhibitions  to  the  public,  and  the 
case  of  the  well-known  Dr.  Slade,  also  a  well-known  American 
"  thaumaturgic"  performer,  as  also  an  equally  familiar  "mag- 
netic "  woman,  and  several  others  who  have  clashed  with  the 
German  police  will  probably  also  call  in  mind  the  latest  case 
of  the  flower  medium,  Mrs.  Rothe,  who  was  sentenced  to  two 
years  in  prison  and  500  marks  fine. 

What  for  ?  Well,  she  deceived  the  public  in  telling  them 
that  she  could  obtain  communications  from  the  spirit  world. 

This  the  police  claim  was  obtaining  money  under  false 
pretense,  and  there  you  are.  • 

The  Cologne  police  claimed  that  Houdini  was  also  traveling 
about  misrepresenting,  and  that  all  he  did  was  "swindle." 
The  chief  one  was  Schutzmann  Werner  Graff,  who  openly  pub- 
lished a  false  story  in  the  Rheinische  Zeitung,  which  put 
Houdini  in  a  very  bad  light,  and,  as  a  man  of  honor,  Houdini 
could  not  overlook  the  insult. 

He  claimed  that  he  had  been  slandered,  and  asked  an 
apology,  also  a  retraction  of  the  false  stories,  which  all  the 


8 


press  of  Germany  had 
copied  ;  but  was  simply 
laughed  at  for  his 
trouble. 

Engaging  the  best 
lawyer  of  Cologne, 
Herr  Rechtsantwalt 
Dr.  Schreiber,  Louisen- 
strasse  17,  this  able 
lawyer  defended  Hou- 
dini  in  all  three  in- 
stances. 

The  first  trial  oc- 
curred in  Cologne,  Feb. 
19,  1902;  in  this  trial 
Houdini  charged  the 
Schutzman  Werner 
Graff  for  publicly  slan- 
dering him,  whereupon, 
as  answer,  Herr  Graff 
told  the  judge  and  jury 
that  he  was  willing  to 
prove  that  Houdini  was 
misrepresenting,  that 
he  could  chain  Houdini 

so  that  he  could  not  release  himself.  Houdini  permitted 
himself  to  be  chained  by  Herr  Transport  Police  Lott,  and 
to  show  how  easy  it  was  he  wilfully  showed  to  the  judge  and 
jury  how  he  opened  the  chain  and  lock. 

After  a  four  days'  trial,  Houdini  won  the  lawsuit,  and  the 
Cologne  police  were  fined,  and  were  to  publicly  apologize  to 
Houdini,  "  In  the  Name  of  the  Kaiser." 

Instead  of  so  doing,  they  took  it  to  the  higher  court,  "  Straf- 
kammer."  At  this  trial  they  had  specially  manufactured  a 
lock,  which  was  made  by  Master  Mechanic  Kroch,  a  lock  that 
when  once  locked  nothing  would  open  it ;  even  the  key  could 
not  open  the  lock. 

The  police  asked  that  Houdini  should  show  his  ability  by 
opening  this  lock  after  it  had  once  been  locked. 


Houdini,  as  Chained  and  Handcuffed  Before  the 

Judges  in  the  First  Trial  of  His  Action  Against 

the  Royal  Police  of  Cologne. 


The  following  is  a  free  translation  of  what  the  press  had  to 
say  at  the  second  trial. 


In  the  highest 
court  (Strafkammer 
zu  Koln  Yuli  26, 
1902)  Police  Officer 
Werner  Graf!  Was 
found  guilty  of  Slan- 
dering fclarry  Hou- 
dini, heavily  fined, 
he  must  pay  all 
costs,  and  insert  an 
advertisement  in  all 
of  the  Cologne  news- 
papers, proclaiming 
his  punishment,  at 
the  same  time,  "  IN 
THE  NAME  OF 
THE  KING," 
Openly  apologize  to 
Houdini  for  insult- 
ing him. 

This  open  apology 
is  the  severest  pun- 
ishment that  can  be 
given  to  a  royal 
official,  and  as  the 
lawsuit  has  been 
running  over  a  year, 
the  costs  will  run 
into  the  thousands  of 
marks. 

The  case  was  first 
tried  in  the  Schoffen- 
gericht    Koln,     Feb, 

19,  1902,  and  Werner  Graff  was  found  guilty,  but  he  took  it 

to  the  highest  court,  and  again  Houdini  won. 

The  Cologne  police  claimed  that  all  Houdini  advertised  tq 

do  was  misrepresentation  (this  was  the  cause  of  the  lawsuit) ;; 

for  the  trial  they  had  a  special  lock  made  that,  after  it  was  once: 

locked,  no  key  tvould  open  it. 

This  lock  they  challenged  Houdini  to  open,  to  prove  that  he 

was  not  misrepresenting. 

Houdini  accepts  the  challenge,  walks  into  the  VQQin  selected  by 


Houdini  as  Handcuffed  and  Manacled  by  the  San 
Francisco  Police,  July,  1899. 


10 


X  i- 


the  jitry  where  he  could 
work  unhindered.  In  four 
minutes,  with  a  quiet  smile, 
reenters  the  court  room,  and 
hands  the  judges  the  pre- 
pared lock  opened. 

Among  the  thirty  police 
officials  that  testified 
against  Houdini  were  some 
of  the  highest  officials  of 
Cologne,  but  Houdini  won; 
in  fact,  he  was  "one  "  too 
many  for  them. 

It  being  a  disgrace  for 
Schutzman  Werner  Graff  to 
have  this  punishment  on 
him,  with  the  assistance  of 
the  police,  he  took  it  to  the 


Houdini  as  Handcuffed,  Elbow-Ironed, 

and  Thumbscrewed  by  the  Berlin 

Police,  October,  1900. 


Houdini  as  Handcuffed  and  Manacled 

by  the  Dresden  (Germany)  Police, 

September,  1900. 

highest  court  in  Germany, 
"  Oberlandesgericht,  "  and 
there  the  learned  judges 
again  gave  Houdini  the 
verdict  from  which  there  is 
no  appeal. 

Below  is  a  free  translation 
of  the  apology  as  printed  in 
the  German  papers: 

IN  THE  NAME  OF 
THE  KING 

BE  it  known  that  the 
artiste,  known  as  HARRY 
HOUDINI,  of  America, 
New  York  City,  against  the 
Cologne    Police    Schutzman 


11 


12 


Werner    Graff,     for     slandering 
(insulting). 

The  Royal  Schoffengericht, 
the  third  "  Ferienstrafkammer," 
found  Werner  Graff  guilty  of 
slandering  Houdini,  and  the 
Oberlandesgericht  Court  also 
find  that  the  Royal  Schoffen- 
gericht was  justified  in  finding 
Graff  guilty  of  the  charges. 
Werner  Graff  is  guilty  of 
''Openly  Slandering  "  Houdini, 
for  being  the  chief  instigator  of 
the  article  which  he  cajised  to  be 
inserted  in  the  RJieinisclie 
Zeitung  July  25,  1  901,  number  of 
edition  170,  and  the  head-lines 
which  read  "  Houdini,  the  world- 
famous  Handcuff  Releaser." 
Being  found  guilty  of  the  above 
charge,  Werner  Graff  is  fined 
30  marks  in  money,  and  should 
he  fail  to  pay  the  sum  fine,  he 
will  serve  a  day  in  prison  for 
every  5  marks;  and  is  also  fined 
to  pay  all  costs  of  the  three 
trials. 

Houdini  has  the  right  to  pub- 
lish the  verdict  one  time  in  the 

Cologne    newspapers    at    the     cost    of    Schutzman    Werner 
Graff. 

For  the  rightful  writing  of  this  verdict,  we  sign  as  responsi- 
bilities, Coin,  Oct.  24,  T902.     Stock  Sekretar. 

Gerichtsschreiber  des  Kgl.  Amtsgericht  Abtlg  VI.  —  9. 

Signed  for  Houdini, 

Rechtsanwalt  Dr.  Schreiber  Koln. 


Houdini,  as  Handcuffed  by  the 
Vienna  Police,  March,  1902. 


It  will  be  of  interest  to  note  that  Houdini  has  escaped  out 
of  prisons  and  cells  in  the  following  cities: 


13 


New  York,  W.  125th  Street  Police  Station,  W.  68th  Street 
Police  Station,  and  W.  37th  Street;  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.;  Newark, 
N.  J.;  Salem,  Mass.;  Lowell,  Mass.;  Rochester,  N.  Y.;  Balti- 
more; Washington  (3  different  places)  ;  Detroit,  Mich.,;  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.;  Providence,  R.  L;  Kansas  City;  Buffalo,  N.Y. ; 
and  Chicago,  111.;  Amsterdam,  Hague;  Dordrecht,  Hollard; 
Moscow,  Russia;  Plalifax;  Bradford;  Leicester;  Burnley; 
Leeds;  Newcastle-upon-Tyne;  Sheffield;  Liverpool;  South 
Shields;  Salford;  Huddersfield;  Manchester;  St.  Helens; 
Stockton-on-Tees;  Eastbourne;  Newport,  Mon. 

Space  prohibits  the  publication  of  all  certificates  from  the 
various  chiefs  of  police,  but  a  few  are  selected,  which  follow : 

Chief  Constable's  Office, 

Sheffield,  Jan.  19,  1904. 
This  is  to  certify  that  Mr.  Harry  Houdini  was  this  day 
stripped  stark  naked  and  locked  in  the  cell  which  once  con- 
tained Charles  Peace.  The  cell  was  searched  and  triple-locked, 
but  Mr.  Houdini  released  himself  and  redressed  in  five  minutes, 
having  also  opened  the  iron  gate  of  the  corridor. 

Charles  J.  Scott,  Commander  (R.N.) 

Chief  Constable,  Sheffield. 
Witness  to  the  foregoing  feat, 
George  H.  Barker,  Deputy  Chief  Constable. 


An  exceedingly  rare  photograph  of  Charles  Peace,  shrewdest,  most 
dangerous  and  notorious  criminal  in  the  annals  of  Crime  in  Great  Britain. 
Peace  broke  jail  a  number  of  times  but  failed  to  escape  from  this  cell 
in  Sheffield.  He  was  hanged  at  the  Armley  jail.  Houdini  escaped  from 
this  cell,  as  Chief  Constable  Scott's  certificate  on  page  12  shows. 

14 


May  10,  1903. 

Harry  Houdini  was  made  to  disrobe,  and  in  a  nude  condi- 
tion was  locked  into  the  Moscow  transportation  cell  or 
carette,  and  in  less  than  20  minutes  he  had  managed  to 
make  his  escape.  The  searching  Houdini  had  to  submit  to  in 
the  hands  of  the  secret  Russian  police  was  the  severest  he  has 
ever  had  to  undergo.  Never  in  the  history  of  the  Russian 
police  has  any  one  been  able  to  escape  out  of  this  or  any 
other  transportation  carette.  This  feat  was  accomplished  in 
the  presence  of  Chief  of  the  Secret  Police  Cos,  Lebadeff. 

Houdini  was  booked  for  one  month  in  Moscow,  but  after 
this  feat  he  was  prolonged  for  four  months,  and  proved  the 
greatest  sensation  that  ever  visited  Russia. 


From,  the  German  police  Houdini  possesses  certificates 
from  the  cities  of  Berlin,  Dresden,  Dusseldorf,  Essen  Ruhr, 
Barmen,  Bremen,  Dortmund,  Leipzig,  Frankfort  A/M,  Han- 
over, etc. ;  but  the  following  is  the  principal  one  : 

Royal  Police  Presidium, 

Berlin,  Sept.  20,  1900. 

Harry  Houdini,  the  American,  was  handcuffed  and  leg- 
ironed  with  the  irons  used  here,  in  the  presence  of  a  large 
number  of  the  highest  police  officials  of  Germany.  Houdini 
managed  to  free  himself  from  everything,  by  mysteriously 
opening  the  locks,  in  a  manner  which  is  unexplainable  to  us. 
The  cuffs  were  uninjured. 

(Signed)  Von  Hullessem,  Royal  Police  Director,  Berlin. 
Von  Windheim,  The  Royal  Police  President,  Berlin. 

Von  Windheim  was  the  highest  police  official  in  all  Ger- 
many. The  Kaiser's  signature  was  the  only  name  that  stood 
higher  in  Germany. 


15 


a 

o 

I 
e 

Ph 
o 

EH 


The  Daily  Illustrated  Mirror,  March  18th,  1904. 

HOW  HE  PICKED  THE  "MIRROR"  HANDCUFFS 
IN  ONE  HOUR  AND  TEN  MINUTES. 

Not  a  seat  was  vacant  in  the  mighty  Hippodrome,  yester- 
day afternoon,  when  Harry  Houdini,  the  "Handcuff  King," 


16 


stepped  into  the  arena,  and  received  an  ovation  worthy  of  a 
monarch. 

For  days  past  all  London  has  been  aware  that  on  Saturday 
night  last  a  representative  of  the  Mirror  had  stepped  into  the 
arena,  in  response  to  Houdini's  challenge  to  anybody  to  come 
forward  and  successfully  manacle  him,  and  had  there  and 
then  made  a  match  with  America's  Mysteriarch  for  Thursday 
afternoon. 

In  his  travels  the  journalist  had  encountered  a  Birmingham 
blacksmith  who  had  spent  five  years  of  his  life  in  devising  a 
lock,  which,  he  alleged,  "no  mortal  man  could  pick." 
Promptly  seeing  he  was  in  touch  with  a  good  thing,  the  press 
man  had  at  once  put  an  option  upon  the  handcuff  containing 
this  lock,  and  brought  it  back  to  London  with  him. 

It  was  submitted  to  London's  best  locksmiths,  who  were 
unanimous  in  their  admiration  of  it,  asserting  that  in  all  their 
experience  they  had  never  before  seen  such  wonderful 
mechanism. 

As  a  result  the  editors  of  the  Mirror  determined  to  put  the 
lock  to  the  severest  test  possible  by  challenging  Mr.  Houdini 
to  be  manacled  with  the  cuffs.  # 

Like  a  true  sportsman,  Mr.  Houdini  accepted  our  challenge 
in  the  spirit  in  which  it  was  given,  although,  on  his  own  con- 
fession, he  did  not  like  the  look  of  the  lock. 

MIGHTY  AUDIENCE. 

Mr.  Houdini's  call  was  for  three  o'clock  yesterday,  but  so 
intense  was  the  excitement  that  the  4,000  spectators  present 
could  scarcely  restrain  their  impatience  whilst  the  six  excel- 
lent turns  which  preceded  him,  cheered  to  the  echo  on  other 
occasions,  got  through  their  "business." 

Waiting  quietly  and  unnoticed  by  the  arena  steps,  the 
Mirror  representative  watched  Mr.  Houdini's  entrance,  and 
joined  in  giving  his  opponent-to-be  in  the  lists  one  of  the  finest 
ovations  mortal  man  has  ever  received. 

"  I  am  ready,"  said  Houdini,  concluding  his  address  to  the 
audience,  "to  be  manacled  by  the  Mirror  representative  if  he 
be  present." 

A  hearty  burst  of  applause  greeted  the  journalist  as  he 
stepped  into  the  arena  and  shook  hands  with  the  "Handcuff 
King." 

Then,  in  the  fewest  possible  words,  the  press  man  called  for 

17 


volunteers  from  the  audience  to  act  upon  a  committee  to  see 
fair  play,  and  Mr.  Houdini  asked  his  friends  also  to  step  into 
the  arena  and  watch  his  interests. 

HOUDINI  HANDCUFFED. 

This  done,  the  journalist  placed  the  handcuffs  on  Mr. 
Houdini's  wrists  and  snapped  them.  Then,  with  an  effort,  he 
turned  the  key  six  times,  thus  securing  the  bolt  as  firmly  as 
possible. 

The  committee  being  satisfied  as  to  the  security  of  the 
handcuff,  Mr.  Houdini  said:  — 

"Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  —  I  am  now  locked  up  in  a  hand- 
cuff that  has  taken  a  British  mechanic  five  years  to  make.  I 
do  not  know  whether  I  am  going  to  get  out  of  it  or  not,  but  I 
can  assure  you  I  am  going  to  do  my  best." 

Applauded  to  the  echo,  the  Mysteriarch  then  retired  within 
the  cabinet  that  contains  so  many  of  his  secrets. 

All  correct  chronometers  chronicled  3. 15. 

In  a  long  line  in  front  of  the  stage  stood  the  committee. 
Before  them,  in  the  center  of  the  arena,  stood  the  little  cabinet 
Houdini  loves  to  call  his  "ghost  house."  Restlessly  pacing 
to  and  fro,  the  Mirror  representative  kept  an  anxious  eye- 
on  it. 

FALSE  HOPE  OVERTHROWN. 

Those  who  have  never  stood  in  the  position  of  a  challenger 
can  scarcely  realize  the  sense  of  responsibility  felt  by  one  who 
has  openly  thrown  down  the  gauntlet  to  a  man  who  is  popular 
with  the  public. 

The  Mirror  had  placed  its  reliance  on  the  work  of  a  British 
mechanic,  and  if  Houdini  succeeded  in  escaping  in  the  first 
few  minutes  it  was  felt  that  the  proceedings  would  develop 
into  a  mere  farce. 

But  time  went  by;  5,  10,  15,  20  minutes  sped.  Still  the  bana 
played  on.  Then,  at  22  minutes,  Mr.  Houdini  put  his  head 
out  of  the  "  ghost  house,"  and  this  was  the  signal  for  a  great 
outburst  of  cheering. 

"He  is  free!  he  is  free!  "  shouted  several;  and  universal 
disappointment  was  felt  when  it  was  ascertained  that  he  had 
only  put  his  head  outside  the  cabinet  in  order  to  get  a  good 
look  at  the  lock  in  strong  electric  light. 

18 


kht  \ 


19 


The  band  broke  into  a  dreamy  waltz  as  Houdini  once  more 
disappeared  within  the  canopy.  The  disappointed  spectators 
looked  at  their  watches,  murmured  "  What  a  shame!"  gave 
Houdini  an  encouraging  clap,  and  the  journalist  resumed  his 
stride. 

At  35  minutes  Mr.  Houdini  again  emerged.  His  collar 
was  broken,  water  trickled  in  great  channels  down  his  face, 
and  he  looked  generally  warm  and  uncomfortable. 

"  My  knees  hurt,"  he  explained  to  the  audience.  "  I  am  not 
done  yet. " 

The  "house"  went  frantic  with  delight  at  their  favorite's 
resolve,  and  this  suggested  an  idea  to  the  Mirror  representa- 
tive. 

He  spoke  rapidly  to  Mr.  Parker,  the  Hippodrome  manager, 
who  was  at  the  side  of  the  stalls.  That  gentleman  looked 
thoughtful  for  a  moment,  then  nodded  his  head  and  whispered 
something  to  an  attendant. 

A  WELCOME  CONCESSION. 

Presently  the  man  appeared  bearing  a  large  cushion. 

"  The  Mirror  has  no  desire  to  submit  Mr.  Houdini  to  a  tor- 
ture test,"  said  the  representative;  "  and  if  Mr.  Houdini  will 
permit  me,  I  shall  have  great  pleasure  in  offering  him  the  use 
of  this  cushion." 

The  "  Handcuff  King  "  was  glad  evidently  of  the  rest  for  his 
knees,  for  he  pulled  it  through  into  the  "ghost  house." 

Ladies  trembled  with  suppressed  excitement,  and,  despite 
the  weary  wait,  not  a  yawn  was  noticed  throughout  the  vast 
audience.  For  20  minutes  more  the  band  played  on,  and  then 
Houdini  was  seen  to  emerge  once  more  from  the  cabinet. 

Still  handcuffed! 

Almost  a  moan  broke  over  the  vast  assemblage  as  this  was 
noticed.  He  looked  in  pitiable  plight  from  his  exertions  and 
much  exhausted. 

He  looked  about  for  a  moment,  and  then  advanced  to  where 
his  challenger  stood. 

"Will  you  remove  the  handcuffs  for  a  moment,"  he  said, 
"  in  order  that  I  may  take  my  coat  off  ?  " 

For  a  few  seconds  the  journalist  considered.  Then  he  re- 
plied: "  I  am  indeed  sorry  to  disoblige  you,  Mr.  Houdini,  but 
I  cannot  unlock  those  cuffs  unless  you  admit  you  are  defeated." 

The  reason  was  obvious.     Mr.   Houdini  had  seen  the  cuffs 

20 


locked,  but  he  had  never  seen  them  unlocked.  Consequently 
the  press  man  thought  there  might  be  more  in  the  request  than 
appeared  on  the  surface. 

FROCK  COAT  SACRIFICED. 

Houdini  evidently  does  not  stick  at  trifles.  He  maneuvered 
until  he  got  a  penknife  from  his  waistcoat  pocket.  This  he 
opened  with. his  teeth,  and  then,  turning  his  coat  inside  out 
over  his  head,  calmly  proceeded  to  cut  it  to  pieces. 

The  novelty  of  the  proceeding  delighted  the  audience,  who 
yelled  themselves  frantic.  The  Mirror  representative  had 
rather  a  warm  five  minules  of  it  at  this  juncture.  Many  of 
the  audience  did  not  see  the  reason  of  his  refusal,  and  ex- 
pressed their  disapproval  of  his  action  loudly. 

Grimly,  however,  he  looked  on  and  watched  Mr.  Houdini 
once  more  reenter  the  cabinet.  Time  sped  on,  and  presently 
somebody  recorded  the  fact  that  the  Mysteriarch  had  been 
manacled  just  one  hour.  Ten  minutes  more  of  anxious  wait- 
ing, and  then  a  surprise  was  in  store  for  everybody. 

VICTORY. 

The  band  was  just  finishing  a  stirring  march  when,  with  a 
great  shout  of  victory,  Houdini  bounded  from  the  cabinet, 
holding  the  shining  handcuffs  in  his  hand  —  free! 

A  mighty  roar  of  gladness  went  up.  Men  waved  their  hats, 
shook  hands  one  with  the  other.  Ladies  waved  their  handker- 
chiefs, and  the  committee,  rushing  forward  as  one  man, 
shouldered  Houdini,  and  bore  him  in  triumph  round  the 
arena. 

But  the  strain  had  been  too  much  for  the  "  Handcuff  King," 
and  he  sobbed  as  though  his  heart  would  break. 

With  a  mighty  effort,  however,  he  regained  his  composure, 
and  received  the  congratulations  of  the  Mirror  in  the  true 
sportsmanlike  spirit  he  has  shown  throughout  the  contest. 

PRESENTATION  MODEE 

The  journalist  intimated  to  the  audience  that  a  beautiful  solid  silver  model 
of  the  handcuffs  would  be  made,  and  ticked  Mr.  Houdini's  permission  to  present 
this  to  him  at  no  distant  date. 

A   SrORTSMAN'S   TELEGRAM. 

Late  last  night  Mr.  Houdini  sent  us  the  following  telegram: 
Editor  "Mirror,"  2,  Carmelite  Street,  London.  E.  C. 

"Allow  me  to  thank  you  for  the  open  and  upright  manner  in  which  your 
representative  treated  me  in  to-day's  contest.  Must  say  that  it  was  one  of  the 
hardest,  but  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  fairest  tests  I  ever  had." 

"HARRY  HOUDINI." 

21 


HOUDINI,  manacled  and  chained,  Diving  head  first  off  Queen's  Bridge, 
into  the  Yarra  River,  Melbourne,  Australia,  Feb.  18th,  1910. 

Australia  's  Coast  is  infested  with  Man-eating  Sharks,  luckily  for  Houdini, 
none  happened  to  be  around  when  he  dived. 


AN  EPISODE  IN  HOUDINFS  LIFE. 

Star,  Blackburn,  England,  Saturday,  Oct.  25,  1902. 
MANACLED  BY  A  STRONG  MAN. 

TRUSSED  TILL  MIDNIGHT. 
Unparalleled  Scenes  at  the  Palace  Theatre. 

Never  in  the  history  of  Blackburn  or  music  hall  life  has 
there  been  witnessed  so  remarkable  a  scene  as  occurred 
last  night.  Houdini,  the  Handcuff  King,  and  Mr.  Hodgson, 
principal  of  the  School  of  Physical  Culture,  provided  a  big 
sensation  for  the  patrons  of  the  Palace  Theatre,  Blackburn.  . 

Houdini,  who  has  been  appearing  at  the  Palace  during  the 
week,  claims  to  be  able  to  release  himself  from  any  of  the 
regulation  shackles  or  irons  used  by  the  police  of  Europe  or 
America,  and  offered  nightly  to  forfeit  ^25  if  he  failed  to 
prove  his  claim. 


22 


Mr.  Hodgson,  of  the  Physical  Culture  School,  Blackburn, 
took  up  the  challenge,  stipulating  that  he  was  to  use  his  own 
irons  and  fix  them  himself.  Houdini  consented,  and  deposit 
the  ^25  with  the  editor  of  the  Daily  Star. 

The  trial  of  skill  and  strength  was  fixed  to  take  place  last 
night,  and  the  crowd  which  came  together  to  witnesy  «♦ 
crammed  the  theatre  literally  from  floor  to  ceiling  —  even 
standing  room  being  ultimately  unobtainable. 

Shortly  after  ten  o'clock  the  parties  to  the  challenge  faced 
each  other,  and  excitement  at  once  became  intense. 

Mr.  Hodgson  produced  6  pairs  of  heavy  irons,  furnished 
with  clanking  chains  and  swinging  padlocks.  These  were 
carefully  examined  by  Houdini,  who  raised  some  disappoint- 
ment and  much  sympathetic  cheering  by  stating  that  his  claim 
was  that  he  could  escape  from  "regulation"  irons.  The 
"cuffs  "  brought  by  Mr.  Hodgson,  he  said,  had  been  tam- 
pered with  —  the  iron  being  wrapped  round  with  string,  the 
locks  altered,  and  various  other  expedients  adopted  to  render 
escape  more  difficult. 

Mr.  Hodgson's  answer,  given  dramatically  from  the  stage, 
was  that  he  stipulated  that  he  should  bring  his  own  irons. 

Houdini  again  protested  that  Mr.  Hodgson  was  going 
beyond  the  challenge,  but  added  that  he  was  quite  willing  to 
go  on,  if  only  the  audience  would  give  him  a  little  time  in 
which  to  deal  with  the  extra  difficulties. 

This  announcement  was  greeted  with  great  cheering,  and 
the  work  of  pinioning  proceeded. 

First,  Mr.  Hodgson,  with  the  aid  of  a  companion,  fixed 
a  pair  of  irons  over  Houdini's  upper  arm,  passing  the  chain 
behind  his  back  and  pulling  it  tight,  and  fixing  the  elbows 
close  to  the  sides. 

To  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  he  fixed  another  pair  in  the 
same  way,  and  padlocked  both  behind. 

Then,  starting  with  the  wrists,  he  fixed  a  pair  of  chained 
"cuffs"  so  that  the  arms,  already  pulled  stiffly  behind,  were 
now  pulled  forward.  The  pulling  and  tugging  at  this  stage 
was  so  severe  —  the  strong  man  exercising  his  strength  to 
some  purpose  —  that  Houdini  protested  that  it  was  no  part  of 
the  challenge  that  his  arms  should  be  broken. 

He  also  reminded  Mr.  Hodgson  that  he  was  to  fix  the  irons 
himself. 

This  led  to  Mr.  Hodgson's  assistant  retiring. 

23 


Proceeding,  Mr.  Hodgson  fixed  a  second  pair  of  "cufe  "  on 
the  wrists  and  padlocked  both  securely,  Houdini's  arms  being 
then  trussed  to  his  side  so  securely  that  escape  seemed  abso- 
lutely impossible. 

Still  Mr.  Hodgson  was  not  finished  with  him. 

Getting  Houdini  to  kneel  down,  he  passed  the  chain  of  a 
pair  of  heavy  leg  irons  through  the  chains  which  bound  the 
arms  together  at  the  back.  These  were  fixed  to  the  ankles, 
and  after  a  second  pair  had  been  added,  both  were  locked, 
and  Houdini  now  seemed  absolutely  helpless. 

A  canopy  being  placed  over  Houdini  in  the  middle  of  the 
stage,  the  waiting  began,  and  excitement  grew  visibly  every 
minute. 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Hodgson  and  others  kept  strict  watch  on  the 
movements  of  Houdini's  wife  and  brother  (Hardeen),  who 
were  both  on  the  stage. 

At  the  end  of  about  15  minutes  the  canopy  was  lifted  and 
Houdini  was  revealed  lying  on  his  side,  still  securely  bound. 
It  was  at  first  thought  he  had  fainted,  but  he  soon  made  it 
known  that  all  he  wished  was  to  be  lifted  up.  This  Mr.  Hodg- 
son refused  to  do,  at  which  the  now  madly  excited  audience 
hissed  and  "  booed  "  him  for  his  unfair  treatment,  and  Hardeen 
lifted  his  brother  to  his  knees.  Thie  curtain  of  the  cabinet  was 
again  closed. 

Another  20  minutes  passed,  and  again  the  curtain  was  lifted. 
This  time  Houdini  said  his  arms  were  bloodless  and  numb 
owing  to  the  pressure  of  the  irons,  and  asked  to  have  them 
unlocked  for  a  minute  so  that  the  circulation  could  be  restored. 

Mr.  Hodgson's  reply,  given  amidst  howls,  was:  "This  is  a 
contest,  not  a  love  match.     If  you  are  beaten,  give  in." 

Great  shouting  and  excited  calling  followed,  which  was 
renewed  when  Dr.  Bradley,  after  examining  Houdini,  said  his 
arms  were  blue,  and  it  was  cruelty  to  keep  him  chained  up  as 
he  was  any  longer. 

Still  Mr.  Hodgson  was  obdurate,  and  the  struggle  pro- 
ceeded, Houdini  again  appealing  for  time. 

Fifteen  minutes  more:  Houdini  appeared  and  announced 
that  one  hand  was  free. 

This  was  the  signal  for  terrific  cheering,  which  was  con- 
tinued after  the  canopy  was  dropped. 

At  intervals  Houdini  now  appeared,  and  announced  further 
progress  in  his  escape ;  and  when,  shortly  after  midnight,  he 

24 


came  out  with  torn  clothing  and  bleeding  arms,  and  threw  the 
last  of  the  shackles  on  the  stage,  the  vast  audience  stood  up 
and  cheered  and  cheered,  and  yelled  themselves  hoarse  to  give 
vent  to  their  overwrought  feelings.  Men  and  women  hugged 
each  other  in  mad  excitement.  Hats,  coats,  and  umbrellas 
were  thrown  up  into  the  air,  and  pandemonium  reigned 
supreme  for  15  minutes. 

Houdini,  when  quietness  had  been  restored,  said  he  had 
been  doing  the  handcuff  trick  now  for  14  years,  but  never  had 
he  been  subjected  to  such  brutality  as  that  to  which  his  bleed- 
ing arms  and  wrists  gave  witness. 

When  Houdini  again  obtained  a  hearing,  it  was  to  state  that, 
not  only  had  the  irons  been  altered,  but  the  locks  had  been 
plugged. 

It  was  well  after  midnight  when  the  huge  audience  left  the 
theatre,  and  broke  up  into  excited,  gesticulating  groups. 


Condemned   Murderers 
Released  by  Houdini. 

The  Washington  Post,  Sunday,  Jan.  7,  1906. 
OUT  OF  GUITEAU  CELL. 

HOUDINI  MIXES  THINGS  UP  AT  THE  UNITED  STATES  JAIL. 
PRISONERS  CHANGED  IN  CELLS. 

Consternation  Accompanies  Feats  of  the  Expert  Lock-picker,  Who 

Gets  Laurels  from  the  American  Police  Chairman  After  His 

Third  Exploit  in  Washington  —  Crowds  Are  Transfixed. 

Two  condemned  murderers,  four  others  under  indictment, 
and  two  noted  criminals  were  released  from  the  United  States 
jail  yesterday  and  for  a  brief  time  tasted  a  counterfeit  liberty. 

Harry  Houdini,  the  international  Prison  Breaker  and  Hand- 
cuff King,  as  he  is  styled,  was  the  hero  of  a  sensational  exploit. 
On  the  invitation  of  Warden  Harris  and  the  jail  authorities  he 
ravaged  bolts  and  locks. 

Houdini  escaped  from  the  cell  in  which  Charles  J.  Guiteau, 
the  assassin  of  President   Garfield,  was  confined,  released  all 

25 


the  other  inmates  of  the  murderers'  row  cells,  and  transferred 
each  into  some  other  cell  than  the  one  to  which  he  was  origi- 
nally committed. 

For  several  days — in  fact,  since  Houdini's  remarkable 
escape  from  the  Tenth  precinct  —  Warden  Harris,  of  the 
cathedral-like  prison  along  the  Eastern  Branch  of  the  Potomac, 
has  been  endeavoring  to  secure  Houdini  for  a  cell-breaking 
exploit,  as  the  warden  had  full  faith  in  the  efficiency  of  his 
lock  system.  He  wished  to  have  this  faith  justified  by  an 
attempt  at  escape  of  Houdini,  and  his  failure  would  induce 
that  state  of  mind. 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD 

the  Martyred  President 

Copyright  and  Published  by  J.  F.  RYDER,  Cleveland,  O. 

The  sitting  for  this  portrait  was  made  June  10th,  1880 


Until  yesterday  Houdini  has  been  so  occupied  with  his  other 
invitations  to  break  out  of  the  police  cells  and  the  other  penal 
institutions  that  he  had  abandoned  the  idea  of  an  adventure  at 
the  jail.  Not  wishing  to  seem  discourteous,  he  concluded 
about  noon  yesterday  to  present  his  compliments  to  Warden 
Harris  and  assure  him  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  test  the 
jail. 


26 


CROWD  QUICKLY  GATHERS 

The  news  of  his  presence  traveled  the  length  of  the  offices 
on  the  inside  of  the  big  structure,  and  here  there  gathered  in 
the  warden's  office  the  following  officials  and  visitors:  Deputy 
Warden  W.  Grayson  Urner,  Capt.  Ed.  S.  Randell,  Guards  John 
C.  Campbell,  George  C.  Gumm,  James  Corrigan,  and  John  P. 
Hickey,  Jail  Physician  Dr.  D.  Kerfoot  Shute,  Dr.  H.  I.  Sout, 
Dr.  T.  Sullivan,  Clerk  J.  Fred  Harris,  and  Messrs.  Robert  R. 
Mahorney,  Theo  Judd,  Frank  Jones,  David  M.  Proctor,  and 
John  T.  Ward. 

Houdini  was  invited  to  examine  the  cell  arrangement  and 
was  shown  first  to  Murderers'  Row,  which  is  in  the  south  wing 
and  comprises  seventeen  cells,  containing  Walter  H.  Hamilton, 
sentenced  to  be  hanged  last  November,  but  now  living  through 
stayed  proceedings;  Richard  Chase,  sentenced  to  twelve  years 
for  manslaughter;  Thomas  S.  Whitney,  John  Mercer,  Edward 
Ferguson,  Jeremiah  Donovan,  and  Henry  Gaskins  —  these 
having  been  indicted  for  murder,  their  alleged  crimes  being 
still  fresh  in  the  public  mind ;  also  James  A.  Backus,  the 
alleged  money-order  raiser,  and  Clarence.  Howlett,  sentenced 
for  housebreaking. 

Houdini  was  chiefly  interested  in  cell  No.  2,  the  one  occu- 
pied by  Guiteau,  and  presumably  the  safest  of  the  lot,  although 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1881,  by 

C.     M.    BELL 

in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

GUITEAU,  the  assassin  of  President   Garfield.     Houdini  escaped  from 
the  murderer's  cell  in  which  this  assassin  was  secured. 

27 


it  was  from  the  outside  of  this  cell  that  "Avenger  "  Jones  shot 
into  it  in  his  effort  to  kill  the  assassin.  It  now  holds  Hamil- 
ton, who  is  alleged  to  have  smothered  his  wife  to  death  and 
then  sat  all  night  beside  the  body  of  his  victim,  indulging  in 
a  drunken  orgy.  The  officials  say  that  he  is  one  of  the  most 
orderly  prisoners  ever  out  there.  Howard  Schneider,  who 
murdered  his  wife  and  her  brother,  and  Shaefer,  the  murderer 
hanged  a  short  time  ago,  also  occupied  this  cell. 

PONDEROUS  BARRED  DOORS. 

All  these  cells  are  brick  structures  with  their  doors  sunk 
into  the  walls  fully  three  feet  from  the  face  of  the  outer  corri- 
dor wall.  When  the  heavily  barred  door  is  closed,  an  arm- 
like bar  runs  out  to  the  corridor  wall  and  then  angles  to  the 
right  and  slips  over  a  steel  catch  which  sets  a  spring  that 
fastens  the  lock.  The  latter  is  only  opened  by  a  key,  and 
there  are  no  less  than  five  tumblers  in  the  lock.  One  key 
opens  all  the  doors  in  the  corridor. 

With  Houdini  there,  it  was  very  natural  that  everybody 
should  express  the  ardent  desire  to  have  him  then  and  there 
go  into  a  cell  and  see  if  he  could  release  himself,  and  Houdini, 
with  his  accustomed  courtesy,  yielded  a  ready  acquiescence. 
He  insisted,  however,  that  he  preferred  to  try  cell  No.  2,  for 
the  reason  that  it  is  the  hardest  one  there  to  get  out  of  alive, 
as  he  expressed  it,  and  because  of  the  notorious  murderers  who 
have  spent  their  last  moments  on  earth  within  its  whitewashed 
walls. 

This  was  agreed  upon,  and  then  he  was  stripped  to  the  skin 
and  locked  into  No.  2  with  Hamilton,  the  negro,  who  crouched 
in  the  far  corner  of  the  cell,  presumably  laboring  under  the 
belief  that  one  of  the  arch-fiends  was  already  there  to  get  him 
for  a  red-hot  furnace.  In  two  minutes  Houdini  was  out  of 
that  cell,  free,  the  lock  holding  him  hardly  longer  than  it  took 
him  to  get  into  the  place  and  get  his  bearings.  Then,  without 
the  knowledge  of  the  waiting  officials  who  had  retired  from 
view,  Houdini  quickly  ran  to  the  cells  of  Chase,  Whitney, 
Mercer,  Ferguson,  Donovan,  Gaskins,  Backus,  and  Howlett. 
To  each  occupant  the  unclad  cell-breaker  seemed  like  an  appari- 
tion from  some  other  world,  and  the  astonishment  he  created 
when  he  commanded  each  to  come  out  and  follow  him  can  be 
better  imagined  than  described. 

28 


PRISONERS  ARE  DUMBFOUNDED. 

Chase  gave  a  gasp  of  fear,  and  then  cried,  "  Have  you  come 
tc  let  me  out?  What  are  you  doing  without  clothes? "  He 
supposed  then  that  Houdini  was  an  escaping  fellow-prisoner. 
He  followed  at  Houdini's  heels  and  the  cell-breaker  dashed 
with  him  down  to  the  end  of  the  corridor,  where  he  opened  the 
cell  containing  Clarence  Howlett. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here?  "  said  Houdini  to  the  astonished 
Howlett.     '*  What  are  you  in  for?  " 

"  I'm  a  housebreaker,"  said  the  prisoner,  as  though  making 
his  last  confession. 

"You're  a  bad  one,"  said  Houdini,  «*  or  you  could  get  out  of 
here.  Come  along."  Howlett  followed  his'  strange  captor, 
and  Houdini  then  thrust  Chase  into  the  cell  and  rushed  How- 
lett up  to  Chase's  cell. 

This  scene,  strange  and  strenuous,  was  repeated  again  and 
again,  until  every  desperate  man  was  changed  into  another 
cell  than  his  own.  All  were  in  a  tumult.  Twenty-one  min- 
utes after  Houdini  had  been  locked  in  the  cell  he  had  done  all 
the  quick  changing  and  stood  before  his  free  audience  in  the 
main  hall,  clothed  as  in  every-day  manner. 

When  the  officials  found  what  he  had  done  with  their  prison- 
ers, their  amazement  passed  all  bounds.  They  took  the  slight 
change  Houdini  made  in  their  plans  with  the  utmost  good 
nature,  and  soon  had  everything  straightened  out,  and  each  of 
the  men  back  in  his  cell.  At  the  conclusion,  Warden  Harris 
gave  the  cell-breaker  a  certificate,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
copy: 


"  This  is  to  certify  that  Mr.  Harry  Houdini,  at  the  United 
States  jail  to-day,  was  stripped  stark  naked,  thoroughly 
searched,  and  locked  up  in  cell  No.  2  of  the  south  wing,  the 
cell  in  which  Charles  J.  Guiteau  was  confined  from  the  date  of 
his  commitment,  July  2,  1881,  until  the  day  on  which  he  was 
executed,  June  30,  1882.  Mr.  Houdini,  in  about  2  minutes, 
managed  to  escape  from  that  cell,  and  then  broke  into  the  cell 
in  which  his  clothing  was  locked  up.  He  then  proceeded  to 
release  from  their  cells  all  the  prisoners  on  the  ground  floor. 
There  was  positively  no  chance  for  any  collusion  or  confeder- 

29 


acy.     Mr.    Houdini  accomplished  all  of  the  above-mentioned 
feats,  in  addition  to  cutting  on  all  his  clothing,  in  21  minutes. 

"J.    H.  Harris. 
"  Warden  United  States  Jail,  D.  C." 


Major  Sylvester  ^esterday  prepared  for  Houdini  the  follow^ 
ing  statement: 

TO  WHOM  IT  MAY  CONCERN:  No  individual  should 
be  disinclined  to  profit  by  the  abilities  displayed  by  others, 
and,  in  order  that  defective  means  of  restraint  might  be  dis- 
covered in  the  holding  of  prisoners  in  this  jurisdiction,  and 
with  a  view  to  remedying  any  insecurity  which  might  exist, 
Mr.  Houdini,  the  expert  man  with  locks,  was  permitted  to 
examine  a  modern  cell  lock  and  attachment,  and  then  placed 
in  an  entirely  different  cell  from  the  one  he  examined.  He 
was  searched,  and  in  a  nude  condition  placed  behind  the  bars, 
and,  as  supposed,  secured.  This  was  in  the  presence  of  the 
Engineer  Officer  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  myself,  and 
several  officers.  In  26  minutes  he  emerged  from  the  cell  and 
corridor  fully  attired. 

"  The  experiment  was  a  very  valuable  one  in  that  the  depart- 
ment has  been  instructed  as  to  the  adoption  of  further  secur- 
ity which  will  protect  any  lock  from  being  opened  or  interfered 
with.  The  act  was  interesting  and  profitable,  and  worthy  of 
study. 

"  Mr.  Houdini  impressed  his  audience  as  a  gentleman  and 
an  artist  who  does  not  profess  to  do  the  impossible. 

"Richard  Sylvester, 
"  Major  and  Superintendent." 


SOME  OF  THE  GREAT  FEATS  ACCOMPLISHED  BY 

HOUDINI. 

Broke  out  of  the  Siberian  Prison  Van  in  Moscow,  Russia,  in  May,  1003. 

Leaped,  heavily  handcuffed,  in  zero  weather,  from  Belle  Island  Bridge, 
*n  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  December  2nd,  1006,  and  released  himself  unde  the 
icy  water. 

Leaped  into  San  Francisco  Bay,  San  Francisco,  Calif.,  on  August  26th. 
1007,  handcuffed  with  hands  behind  his  back,  with  more  than  75  pounds 
of  ball  and  chain  locked  to  his  bodv. 

Escaped  from  a  plate  glass  box  made  by  the  Pittsburg  Plate  Glass  Co., 
and  did  not  even  scratch  the  glass.   Boston  Mass..  Jan.  20th  1007. 

After  being  ri vetted  into  a  laro-e  hot  water  boiler  bv  the  emplovees  of 
the  Marine  Boiler  Works,  of  Toledo,  on  March  15th,  1007,  Houdini 
escaped  without  leaving  any  traces  of  his  exit. 

Escaped  from  paper  bags,  zinc  lined  piano  boxes,  packing  ensos.  padded 
cells,  straight- jackets,  insane  cribs,  willow  hampers,  iron  engos.  a  TT.S, 
Mail  Pouch  furnished  with  a  rotary  lock  belonging  to  the  U.S.  Govern- 


31 


jient,  a  large  Football,  made  by  Reach  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  a  large 
Derby  Desk,  with  secret  locks,  Burglar-proof  safes,  etc.,  etc.  Handcuffed 
nailed  into  a  packing  case,  200  lbs.  of  iron  weights  chained  to  the  box 
and  was  then  thrown  overboard  into  New  York  Bay. 

Houdini  has  escaped  from  cells  in  almost  every  city  in  America,  the 
most  notable  one  being  from  the  Murderers '  Cell  in  U.S.  Jail  at  Washing- 
ton, D.C.,  which  confined  Guiteau,  the  murderer  of  President  Garfield. 

Houdini  presents  the  largest,  the  smallest  and  most  perplexing  mystery 
in  the  world  and  history  of  magic. 

The  smallest.  The  East  Indian  Needle  Mystery,  in  which  he  swallows 
50  to  100  needles,  20  yards  of  thread,  and  brings  them  all  up  threaded, 
after  his  mouth  and  throat  have  been  examined  by  a  committee  of 
Surgeons.  In  Boston,  at  Keith's  Theatre,  1906,  at  special  morning  per- 
formance, he  performed  this  feat  before  sixteen  hundred  physicians,  and 
not  one  could  give  a  correct  solution  as  to  his  method. 

The  largest  and  one  of  his  original  inventions  being  the  complete  van- 
ishing of  a  Ten  Thousand  pound  Elephant,  in  full  glare  of  the  light  and 
right  over  the  tank  of  a  Quarter  of  a  Million  Gallons  of  Water  on  the 
stage  of  New  York  Hippodrome,  1916-1917.  He  performed  this  the  entire 
season,  creating  the  greatest  amount  of  talk  ever  caused  by  any  Illusion- 
ist with  any  vanishing  mystery. 

The  greatest  mystery  ever  presented,  original  inventions  of  Houdini, 
one  of  the  Chinese  Torture  Cell,  and  the  Escape  from  a  Packing  Case 
which  being  weighted  with  300  lbs.  of  pig  iron  is  thrown  overboard  into 
the  ocean,  and  from  which  he  releases  himself  in  less  than  two  minutes. 


Kansas  City,  Mo.,  April  n,  1900. 

TO  WHOM  IT  MAY  CONCERN  :  We,  the  undersigned, 
do  hereby  certify  that  we  saw  Harry  Houdini  stripped  nude, 
thoroughly  searched  from  head  to  foot,  and  his  mouth  sealed 
up,  making  it  an  utter  impossibility  for  him  to  have  anything 
concealed  on  his  person.  We  saw  him  handcuffed  and  leg- 
ironed  with  five  different  cuffs,  and  his  hands  locked  to  his 
feet. 

He  was  led  into  a  cell,  which  was  also  securely  locked  with 
what  is  known  as  the  three-bond  lock,  guaranteed  by  the 
makers  to  be  burglar  proof.  Nevertheless,  Houdini  succeeded 
in  making  his  escape  out  of  all  the  irons,  also  from  the  cell,  in 
less  than  8  minutes.  There  was  no  possible  chance  of  con- 
federacy. 

Signed  and  sealed  by  John  Hayes,  Chief  of  Police. 

John  Halpin,  Inspector  of  Detectives. 
J.  C.  Snavly,  Jailer. 

32 


THE  DISAPPEARING  ELEPHANT 
The  largest  vanish  the  world  has  ever  known,  as  invented  and  presented 
by  Houdini  at  the  New  York  Hippodrome. 


33 


Daily  Express,  London,  Feb.  j,  1Q04. 

WIZARD  IN  GAOL. 

OPENS  CELLS  AND  IS  TAKEN  FOR  THE  DEVIL. 
HIS  61st  ESCAPE. 

I  certify  that  to-day  Mr.  Harry  Houdini  showed  his  abilities 
in  releasing  himself  from  restraint. 

He  had  three  pairs  of  handcuffs,  one  a  very  close-fitting  pair, 
placed  round  his  wrists,  and  he  was  placed  in  a  nude  state  in  a 
cell  which  had  been  previously  searched.  Within  6  minutes 
he  was  free  from  the  handcuffs,  had  opened  the  cell  door,  and 
had  opened  the  doors  of  all  the  other  cells  in  the  corridor,  had 
changed  a  prisoner  from  one  cell  to  another,  and  had  so  se- 
curely locked  him  in  that  he  had  to  be  asked  to  unlock  the 

door. 

(Signed)  Leonard  Dunning, 

Head  Constable,  Liverpool. 
Feb.  2,  1902. 

Mr.  Dunning  has  since  been  knighted  and  is  now  head  of 
the  Police  Constabulary,  being  located  in  London,  his  official 
title  being  His  Majesty's  Inspector  of  Constabulary,  London, 
England. 


For  him  it  is  literally  true  that  — 

Stone  walls  do  not  a  prison  make, 
Nor  iron  bars  a  cage. 

Were  he  a  criminal  —  his  clear,  straightforward  eyes  nega- 
tive the  suggestion  —  he  would  be  a  nightmare  to  the  police 
of  Britain,  for  he  wou*d  walk  out  of  gaol  as  coolly  and  smil- 
ingly as  he  did  twice  out  of  Liverpool  Bridewell  yesterday. 

It  was  an  eventful  day  at  the  sinister-looking  building  that 
stands  off  busy  Dale  Street. 

High  police  officials,  clever  detectives,  leading  city  business 
men  who  hold  office  on  the  watch  committee,  all  sustained  a 
severe  shock  by  their  loss  of  faith  in  what  they  had  regarded 
as  an  inviolable  stronghold. 

No  one  has  been  known  previously  to  escape  from  the  bolts 
and  bars  behind  which  Liverpool  quarters  its  criminals. 

34 


SURRENDERS  TO  TOLlCE. 

In  the  afternoon  Houdini  had  a  pleasant  interview  with 
Head  Constable  Dunning. 

"  Want  to  try  our  locks?  Certainly.  You're  welcome;  but, 
of  course,  we  will  take  some  precautions. " 

"I  want  you  to  do  so,"  replied  Houdini.  "I  will  strip 
naked.  You  can  then  handcuff  me  and  put  me  in  your  strong- 
est cell,  and  after  you  have  searched  me  and  the  cell  you  leave 
me,  locking  the  door.     I  will  join  you  in  a  minute  or  two." 

Houdini  was  as  good  as  his  word.  Not  only  did  he  escape, 
but  he  had  torn  from  his  hands  and  arms  three  pairs  of  hand- 
cuffs, which  had  been  put  on  him  by  officers  with  absolute 
belief  in  their  restraining  power. 

Even  these  feats  were  not  enough  for  this  man,  who  does 
things  that  would  have  made  Jack  Sheppard  die  of  envy.  He 
felt  sure  there  was  nothing  in  Bridewell  to  baffle  him. 

Running  along  the  corridor,  he  opened  the  doors  of  other 
cells,  which  he  had  thought  were  all  empty.  When  he  reached 
No.  14  and  flung  open  the  door,  he  confronted  a  prisoner. 

"  I  don't  know  which  of  us  was  the  more  surprised,"  said 
Houdini  to  an  Express  representative. 

STARTLED  PRISONER 

Here  was  I,  standing  absolutely  nude  before  a  terrified, 
miserable  object. 

Poor  fellow!  what  a  shock  it  was  for  him.  He  was  an 
Irishman  just  recovering  from  a  drunken  bout. 

"'Arrah!'  he  said,  when  he  had  recovered;  'I  thought  it 
was  the  divil/  " 

The  shivering  prison-breaker  hurried  the  wretched  prisoner 
out  of  cell  No.  14  into  No.  15  and  locked  him  in.  Then  he 
ran  along  the  passage  to  greet  the  head  constable  and  the 
other  officials. 

Only  6  minutes  had  elapsed  since  he  had  been  locked  in 
the  cell  naked  and  handcuffed.  The  cell  door  was  inspected 
and  found  uninjured.  i 

Then  one  of  the  gaolers,  walking  along  the  corridor,  espied 
door  No.  14  open  and  a  prisoner  gone. 

"That's  all  right,"  said  the  irrepressible  Houdini.  "I've 
had  him  out  and  locked  him  up  in  No.  15."  Hearty  laughter 
followed  the  narration  of  this  achievement,  and  the  officials 
went  to  No.  15. 

So  securely  had  the  Irishman  been  locked  up  that  it  was 
necessary  to  call  upon  Houdini  to  unfasten  the  door.     The 

35 


irishman  was  found  in  a  somewhat  bewildered  state,  but  he 
probably  "sobered"  quicker  than  he  would  have  done  in  less 
eventful  circumstances. 

Houdini  left  the  bridewell  the  proud  possessor  of  the  cer- 
tificate which  is  reproduced  at  the  head  of  this  article. 

ANOTHER  EXPERIMENT 

In  the  evening  Houdini,  accompanied  by  an  Express  repre- 
sentative, again  walked  into  the  bridewell  to  settle  a  point 
which  had  been  raised  since  his  feat  in  the  afternoon. 

Was  the  door  which  had  been  fastened  against  him  single, 
double,  or  triple  locked? 

The  matter  could  easily  be  settled.  Houdini  would  just  do 
the  trick  again.  Only  this  time  he  would  do  it  with  his  clothes 
on,  as  time  was  pressing. 

Liverpool's  bridewell  is  as  an  unsightly  a  place  as  a  bride- 
well can  be.  No  one  would  mistake  it  for  a  spa  hotel  or  a 
convalescent  home. 

Beneath  a  dark  arch  you  pass,  and  in  the  great  door  which 
you  find  opposite  is  a  little  window  which  is  unlocked  when 
you  knock,  and  through  which  you  are  viewed  before  you  are 
permitted  even  to  stand  upon  the  threshold. 

Houdini  and  his  companion  were  admitted. 

"More  lock-breaking? 

"Yes ;  I  am  ready  for  more — as  many  as  you  like." 

Accompanied  by  a  gaoler,  Houdini  and  the  Express  repre- 
sentative ascended  a  flight  of  stone  steps  and  passed  along 
dimly  lighted  corridors,  whose  atmosphere  seemed,  to  reek 
with  crime  and  mystery. 

Passing  through  a  gate,  a  row  of  cells  was  reached,  upon 
any  one  of  which  Houdini  might  operate. 

Here  was  one  marked  with  a  strange  device.  Houdini 
would  try  this  one. 

It  was  a  felon's  cell — stronger  than  some  of  the  others, 
though  it  could  not  have  been  darker  or  more  forbidding. 

Houdini  entered.  He  was  backed  in  by  the  Express  repre- 
sentative.    He  was  inside,  safe  and  sound. 

SECOND  ESCAPE 

There  could  be  no  doubt  about  that.  At  the  first  turn  of 
the  key  the  lock  went  forward  twice;  at  the  second,  once. 
Houdini  was  behind  a  triple  lock  in  the  dark,  dreary  cell. 

The  Express  representative  and  the  gaoler  left  him  there, 
and  retired  beyond  an  iron  gate  which  bars  the  passage. 

"The  gate  is  a  greater  test  than  the  cell,"  said  the  gaoler. 


"It's  locked  before  it's  locked,  if  you  understand.  Shut  it, 
and  it's  locked,  and  then  you  can  lock  it  again." 

The  gaoler  hand  only  secured  it  when  Houdini  presented 
himself. 

"That's  as  quick  as  I've  ever  done  it,"  said  he.  And  then 
he  tackled  the  gate. 

A  moment's  hesitation.  The  gaoler  shook  his  head,  and  a 
smile  was  just  overspreading  his  features,  when  lo!  Houdini 
flung  open  wide  the  gate. 

He  agreed  that  the  gate  was  "tougher,"  as  he  expressed  it, 
than  the  cell. 

Houdini  is  an  American.  Only  his  strong  arms  and  his  sup- 
ple, yet  powerful  hands  give  the  slightest  clue  of  his  prison- 
breaking  capacity. 

He  does  not  look  a  gaolbird,  but  the  escape  he  made  for  the 
benefit  of  Express  readers  was  his  6ist. 

Bright-eyed,  smart,  active,  and  a  good  talker,  he  has 
traveled  far  and  wide,  and  has  broken  out  of  the  prisons  of 
many  countries. 

"I  have  never  failed,"  said  Houdini,  "but  I  don't  say  there 
is  no  cell  I  cannot  break  out  of.  As  to  handcuffs,  the  hardest 
job  I  ever  had  was  with  a  pair  made  at  Krupp's.  It  took  me 
40  minutes  to  get  out  of  them,  but  I  did  it." 


gj  Hou"din\  1  tTdafr';  2  u"dan',  n.  See  Robert-Houdin. 
i  Hou'dl-ni,  1  hQ'dl-nl;  2  hu'dl-ni,  Harry  (V«1874-  ). 
American  mystericist,  wizard,  and  expert  in  extrication  and 
self»rolease.— hou  'di-nize,  vU  To  release  or  extricate  oneself 
*  from  (confinement,  bonds,  or  the  like),  as  by  wriggling  out. 
,A  Hou"dbn',  1  (Tdon/;  2  u'ddn',  Jean  Antolne  (3/20 174l-Vi« 


FROM    FUNK    &    WAGNALL'S    NEW    (1920)    DICTIONARY 
rat  »  /**•*  •  •  ■  '  — — —        ■ 


37 


Houdini  Outwits  Fiji  Islander 
Swimming  Champion. 


Houdini,  the  man  of  mystery,  who  is  now  appearing  in  our 
midst,  is  certainly  a  peculiar  species  of  a  human  being.  From 
all  accounts,  the  energy,  the  work  and  feats  of  this  man  will, 
sometime  in  the  future,  be  the  finish  of  this  now  wonderful 
and  famous  performer. 

The  restless  striving  to  do  something  better  than  another 
human  being  has  brought  him  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  fame, 
has  earned  for  him  princely  salaries,  and  when  one  considers 
the  risks  he  has  taken,  no  one  can  begrudge  him  the  prime 
minister's  salary,  which  he  is  earning. 

To  show  the  restless  craving  of  this  man  for  excelling  in 
things  where  it  is  impossible  to  be  of  any  value  to  him  in  any 
way  or  form,  an  incident  regarding  this  man  is  well  worth 
relating.  He  was  returning  from  Australia,  and  the  steamer, 
after  leaving  Brisbane  touched  Suva,  on  the  Fiji  Islands,  a 
place  infested  with  the  most  voracious  man-eating  sharks, 
known  in  the  world's  history.  It  is  stated  that  they  will  not 
touch  a  black  man,  and  perhaps,  that  is  why  the  Fiji  Islanders 
stand  in  no  fear  of  being  devoured  by  sharks,  and  whenever  a 
shark  enters  the  harbour,  it  is  one  of  the  sights  of  the  country, 
same  as  it  is  in  Colombo  or  Port  Said.  The  Natives  dive  for 
coins  that  the  passengers  throw  overboard.  One  big  fellow 
seemed  to  be  a  most  wonderful  diver  and  would  always  come 
up  with  the  coin  in  his  mouth,  pretending  to  the  average 
spectator  that  he  had  cought  the  coin  in  his  mouth. 

Houdini,  being  an  observant  spectator,  claimed  that  the 
man  caught  the  coins  in  his  hand,  that  is,  picked  the  coin  in 
the  water  with  his  hand  and  placed  it  in  his  mouth.  This  was 
disputed.  Houdini,  being  offered  to  wager  that  if  the  man's 
hands  were  tied  behind  his  back,  which  would  not  impede 
him  in  making  his  dive,  that  he  could  not  catch  the  coin  in 
his  mouth,  and  Houdini  agreed  that  he  would  allow  himself 
to  be  handcuffed,  with  his  hands  behind  his  back,  and  that  he 
would  come  up  with  the  coin  in  his  mouth. 


An  interpreter  was  called  and  the  Black  agreed  to  undergo 
the  test.  The  dive  was  to  be  made  oft*  the  steamer,  and  the 
Captain  warned  Houdini  that  he  stood  in  grave  danger  of  the 
sharks. 

Undaunted,  Houdini  went  below,  donned  a  bathing  suit, 
had  a  pair  of  regulation  handcuffs  locked  behind  his  back; 
the  Black  had  his  hands  tied  behind  him  with  a  cord — he  re- 
fused to  have  the  handcuffs  placed  on  him,  and  he  said  they 
were  too  heavy — two  coins  were  thrown  overboard,  two 
splashes  were  simultaneously  heard. 

Quick  as  a  tiger's  spring  the  Fiji  Islander,  with  his  sleek, 
glossy  body,  hurled  himself  through  the  air  and  was  beneath 
the  surface  of  the  water  even  while  Houdini  was  perched  for 
his  spring.  But  the  jumps  were  so  quickly  made,  one  after 
the  other,  that  unless  you  saw  the  men  as  they  entered  the 
water,  you  would  have  thought  that  it  was  one  prolonged 
splash.  Thirty  seconds  passed;  neither  one  of  the  two  men  ap- 
peared. One  minute  passed,  and  the. black  head  of  the  Fiji 
Islander  came  up,  almost  livid  for  want  of  air.  Fifteen  seconds 
passed  by,  and,  feet  first,  up  came  Houdini. 

The  Fiji  Islander  did  not  have  his  coin,  and  it  seems  that 
Houdini  had  gathered  both  of  them  and  had  them  in  his  mouth. 

He  was  drawn  up  with  exciting  hurry,  for  the  fins  of  the 
sharks  were  seen  moving  about  with  rapidity,  and,  being 
hauled  on  deck,  Houdini  was  declared  to  have  won  the  wager. 

The  Black's  hands  were  released,  were  cut  apart,  the  hand- 
cuffs were  unlocked  from  Houdini's  wrists,  and  instead  of 
keeping  the  money,  Houdini  made  it  a  present  to  the  Black. 

In  a  private  interview,  on  being  asked  how  he  defeated  the 
Black,  Houdini  said  with  a  good-natured  smile,  "You  can 
pick  up  a  coin  in  a  glass  tank  with  your  hands  tied  behind 
your  back,  because  you  can  use  your  mouth,  teeth  and  tongue 
lo  manipulate  the  coin,  but  when  you  are  in  an  ocean  and  the 
coin  is  falling  downwards  it  is  almost  next  to  impossible  to 
catch  a  coin  and  bring  it  up  in  your  mouth. " 

"You  ask  me  how  I  did  it?  I  will  let  you  in  the  secret — I 
didn't  do  it  at  all.  When  I  was  under  the  water  I  released  one 
of  my  hands  which  gave  me  the  use  of  both  of  them;  I  caught 
my  coin  and  J  noticed  that  the  Black  was  unable  to  get  his 
coin.  I  swam  ~fter  him  until  he  had  given  up  trying  to  get 
it,  and  we  had  gone  down  to  such  a  distance  that  my  ears 

39 


rang,  my  head  was  splitting,  and  all  I  could  see  was  the  white 
shining  piece  of  money — it  was  an  English  two-shilling  piece. 
Eventually  I  grabbed  the  coin,  put  it  in  my  mouth  and  came 
up.  As  I  came  up,  I  happened  to  have  my  hands  free  and  as 
I  could  not  stop  myself  with  the  force  I  had  sent  myself  up 
with  my  hands  I  turned  around  and  came  up  feet  first,  and 
this  allowed  me  to  put  my  hands  behind  my  back  and  the 
regulation  handcuff,  as  you  know,  being  a  snap  lock,  I  locked 
my  hands  together  and  to  all  intents  and  purposes  my  hands 
were  locked  during  the  entire  feat.  That  is  why  I  gave  the 
Fiji  Islander  the  entire  amount  at  stake." 

"Was  I  afraid  of  the  sharks?" 

"Yes  and  No!  Being  able  to  see  under  water,  I  kept  a  sharp 
look-out,  and  a  soon,  as  I  would  have  seen  anything  that  looked 
like  a  shark  I  would  have  done  a  record  swim  to  the  boat." 

"No,  I  would  not  care  to  do  it  again;  it  was  not  for  the 
money,  it  was  simply  to  show  that  I  was  as  good  a  swimmer 
as  some  of  those  Fiji  Islanders." 


HISTORICAL  LOCK  PICKERS. 

It  used  to  be  the  fashion  among  inventors  to  challenge  the 
trade  and  other  persons,  to  pick  them. 

In  some  cases,  even  rewards  were  offered  to  any  one  who 
could  do  so. 

It  is  believed  that  Mr.  Joseph  Bramah  was  the  first  to  do 
this  and  in  1801,  he  displayed  in  his  shop  window  in  Piccadily, 
London,  a  board  to  which  was  attached  a  padlock,  manufactur- 
ed by  himself,  and  which  bore  the  following  inscription : — 

"The  artist  who  can  make  an  instrument  that  will  pick  or 
open  this  lock  shall  receive  200  guineas  the  moment  it  is 
produced." 

In  1832,  a  Wolverhampton  locksmith,  having  claimed  to 
having  picked  18  Chubb  locks,  Mr.  Chubb  challenged  him  to 
open  one  of  his  locks  under  certain  conditions. 

Mr.  Hart  tried  and  failed,  giving  the  explanation  that  it 
was  not  the  regular  commercial  Chubb  lock,  but  one  that  had 
a  special  bridge  ward. 

40 


Mr.  Chubb  replied  that  Mr.  Hart  did  not  pick  any  lock,  but 
made  false  keys  by  a  process  of  cutting  blanks. 

In  America  the  great  lock  of  Dr.  Andrews,  in  1841,  being 
heralded  as  an  unpickable  lock,  with  two  sets  of  tumblers,  was 
produced,  the  inventor  offering  500  dollars  to  any  one  who 
could  pick  this. 

It  was  picked  by  Pettitt  and  Hall,  of  Boston,  with  what  is 
known  as  the  smoke  process. 

1851.     HOBBS  PICKS  BRAMAH  AND  CHUBB  LOCK. 

In  185 1  Mr.  A.  C.  Hobbs  arrived  from  America,  picked  a 
Chubb  lock  before  a  committee,  and  picked  the  Bramah  lock, 
winning  thereby  the  200  guineas  that  for  50  years  no  one  was 
able  to  claim. 

Mr.  Hobbs  offered  200  guineas  to  anyone  who  would  pick 
his  lock.  An  engineer  named  Garbutt,  known  as  an  expert, 
took  up  the  challenge,  and  failed  after  trying  thirty  days. 

1855.— YALE  PICKS  HOBBS'  LOCK. 

As  an  additional  element  to  this  controversy,  in  1855,  Lin- 
nius  Yale,  Jr.,  discovered  how  to  pick  the  then  celebrated  Day 
and  Newell  Parautoptic  Bank  Lock. 

It  was  of  American  origin,  and  was  known  in  England  as 
Hobbs  Lock,  but  was  the  invention  of  a  Mr.  Pyle. 

Yale  also  discovered  that  he  could  pick  the  best  Bank  Lock 
— the  Double  Treasury,  which  he  himself  had  designed. 

And  eventually  demonstrated  that  any  lock  having  a  key 
hole  could  be  opened  by  any  expert  with  the  necessary  skill 
and  time  at  his  disposal. 

Accordingly  Mr.  Yale  proceeded  to  develop  the  combination 
or  Dial  Lock. 

1870.— SARGENT  PICKS  YALE  LOCK. 

The  general  use  of  this  lock  led  to  the  controversy  in  the 
United  States  in  1870;  and  the  Yale  lock  was  picked  by  James 
Sargent,  of  the  firm  of  Sargent  and  Greenleaf,  a  lock  inventor, 
a  leading  maker  of  Bank  Locks,  and  the  inventor  of  the  Time 
Lock. 

1905.— HOUDINI  PICKS  SARGENT  LOCK. 

Houdini  bearded  the  lion  in  his  den  by  escaping  from  a 
Police  Cell  m  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  which  was  securely  locked 
with  one  of  the  Sargent  and  Greenleaf  Locks,  placing  himself 
on  record  as  one  of  the  great  lock  pickers  of  the  world. 

Of  the  thousands  of  locks  he  has  picked  all  over  the  world, 
the  following  police  certificates  places  him  among  the  historic- 
al lock  pickers,  in  fact,  second  to  none. 

41 


POLICE  HEADQUARTERS,  ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 
U.  S.  OF  AMERICA. 

We,  the  undersigned,  certify  that  we  saw  Harry  Houdini, 
the  bearer  of  this  note,  stripped  naked,  searched,  locked  in  one 
of  the  cells  at  Police  Headquarters,  and  handcuffed  with  three 
pairs  of  cuffs,  also  strapped  with  a  strap  extending  from  pair 
of  cuffs  and  buckled  at  the  back. 

He  removed  the  cuffs,  unlocked  the  cell,  got  into  an  adjoin- 
ing cell  and  returned  with  his  clothes  on. 

After  unlocking  the  cell  in  which  he  was  first  placed,  he 
had  to  unlock  the  cell  in  which  his  clothing  was  left. 

This  was  witnessed  by  the  following  persons,  at  Police 
Headquarters,  this  city,  December  4th,  1905. 

J.  C.  HAYDEN,  Chief  of  Police. 

Mr.  James  Sargent  personally  complimented  Houdini  on  his 
rare  skill.  They  became  friends  and  spent  hours  together  ex- 
changing lock  opening  secrets. 

NOTE. — We  beg  to  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  to  the  following 
publications  for  data  used  in  this  article — Price's  Book  on  "Locks  and 
Keys"  1856;  New  International  Encycleopedia  2nd  Edition;  (Dodd  Mead 
and  Co.,  New  York);  and  Encycleopedia  Americana,  J.  M.  Stoddart,  1886. 


POLICE  HEADQUARTERS,  CHICAGO,  ILL.,  U.  S.  OF 

AMERICA. 

This  is  to  certify  that  the  undersigned  saw  Harry  Houdini 
stripped  stark  naked,  searched  from  head  to  foot,  and  shackled 
with  handcufTs  around  the  wrists  and  leg  irons  around  his 
ankles. 

He  was  then  placed  in  a  cell  which  required  TWO  LARGE 
keys  of  different  makes  and  patterns  to  open  the  lock.  The 
keys  are  of  such  a  nature  that  it  would  have  been  positively 
impossible  for  him  to  have  concealed  them  on  his  body. 

We  searched  the  cell  and  thoroughly  searched  Houdini  from 
head  to  foot,  also  between  his  toes  and  the  soles  of  his  feet. 
Nevertheless  in  fifteen  minutes  he  managed  to  release  himself 
from  the  manacles  and  make  his  escape  from  the  cell. 

There  was  positively  no  chance  for  outside  assistance. 

(Signed),  ANDREW  ROHAN, 

Chief  of  Detectives.    Nov.  24,  1906. 

42 


The  Only  Paper  in  the  City  that  Dares  Print  the  News 

Los  Angeles  Record 


21st  Year. 


WED.  DEC.  i,  1915. 


No.  6485 


2,000  HISS  J.  WILLARD. 


CHAMPION  DRIVEN  PROM 

THEATER  BY  HOOTS  AND 

CALLS 


Boxing  has  been  given  its  worst 
black  eye  here  to-day  by  none  other 
than  Jess  Willard,  heavy-weight 
champion  who  was  so  badly  worsted 
to  a  wordy  clash  with  Harry 
Houdini,  a  performer  at  the  Orphe- 
um  Theater,  last  night,  mat  the  au- 
dience hissed  him  from  the  house. 

Nearly  2,000  persons  were  present 
at  the  dramatic  scene  and  seemed 
unanimous  in  groaning,  hooting  and 
booing  Willard. 

The  trouble  was  precipitated  by 
Willard 's  gruif  refusal  to  comply 
witn  a  friendly  request  made  by 
Houdini  that  he  act  on  a  committee 
to  watch  the  performer's  act  from 
the  stage. 

It  was  no+  known  that  Willard  was 
present  until  Houdini  came  before 
the  footlights  and  requested  any 
"gentleman"  in  the  audience  to 
step  on  the  stage  and  guard  those 
present  from  any  possible  deception. 

After  about  10  men  had  stepped 
on  the  platform,  Houdin  stepped 
forward  and  said,  smiling: 

"Now  I  need  three  more  gentle- 
men on  this  stage  and  there  is  a 
man  here  to-night  who  doesn't  know 
I  am  aware  of  his  presence.  He  will 
be  enough  for  three  ordinary  gentle- 
men if  he  will  serve  on  this  com- 
mittee. " 

"He  is  Jess  Willard,  our  cham- 
pion. ' ' 

Taken  by  surprise,  the  audience 
was  silent  for  a  moment  and  then 
l>roke  into  tumultous  hand-clapping. 
Cheers  and  shrieks  resounding 
throughout  the  house. 

Houdini  looked  up  on  the  balcony, 
where  Willard  was  seated,  and  said: 

"I  will  leave  it  to  the  audience, 
Mr.  Willard.  You  see  they  want  to 
see  you." 


A  fresh  outburst  occurred,  even 
more  violent  than  before. 

"Aw,  g'wan  with  your  act,"  came 
!  Willard 's  rough  reply  as  the  audi- 
ence stilled  itself.  "I  paid  for  my 
seat  here." 

"But,  Mr.  Willard,"  expostulated 
Houdini,  '  'I — 

"Give  me  the  same  wages  you  pay 
those  other  fellows  and  I'll  come 
down,"  rumbled  Willard 's  deep 
voice. 

The  audience,  scenting  something 
unusual,  was  very  quiet. 

1 '  Sir,  I  will  gladly  do  so, ' '  return- 
ed Houdini,  heatedly.  "Come  on 
down — I  pay  thes*   men  nothing." 

"Aw'  g'wan  with  the  show, 
roarded  Willard,  gro  ling  something 
that  sounded  like  "four-flusher"  and 
"faker." 

Willard 's  boorish  replies  evidently 
displeased  those  present,  for  a  few 
scattering  hisses  came  about  this 
time. 

Houdini  steppeu  to  the  footlights 
and  held  up  his  hand  for  silence. 

It  was  readily  granted. 

"Jess  Willard,  I  have  just  paid 
you  a  compliment,"  said  Houdini 
dramatically.  "Now  I  want  to  tell 
you  something  else. 

"I  will  be  Harry  Houdini,  Jess 
Willard,  when  you  are  NOT  the 
heavyweight  champion  of  the 
world." 

A  roar  of  applause  shook  the 
house.  Men  and  women  alike  joined 
in  the  clapping  and  cheering. 

A  deep  rumble  from  the  balcony 
indicated  that  Willard  was  trying  to 
make  some  retort,  and  the  cheerb 
veered  suddenly  to  hoots  and  groans. 

"I  made  a  mistake*"  said  Hou- 
dini, addressing  the  audience.  "I 
asked  GENTLEMEN  to  step  on  this 
stage  and  GENTLEMEN  only. 

A  renewed  outburst  occurred,  dur- 
ing which  Willard  evidently  left  the 
theater.  He  was  not  to  be  found 
after  the  next  act  had  started. 


43 


THE  PICTURE  SHOW. 


Mar.  20th,  1920 


Half-an-hour  with  Houdini, 

THE  EXPERT  OF  EXTRICATION 


Danger  does  not  mean  anything  to 
me;  I  was  just  born  without  the  in- 
gredient of  fear.  Apart  from  the 
many  risks  'I  nave  taken  in  the 
course  of  my  professional  career,  1 
have  saved  lives  any  number  of 
times,  and  I  have  simply  taken  it  all 
as  a  matter  of  course.  People  talk 
of  being  afraid  to  die;  on  the  con- 
trary, I  am  so  well  prepared  for 
such  an  emergency  that  not  only  is 
my  will  drawn  up,  but  I  have  a 
bronze  memorial  bust  all  ready,  be- 
cause I  thought  it  better  to  have 
one  that  was  really  like  me!" 
THE  HANDCUFF  KING 

Thus  spoke  Houdini,  the  "  hand- 
cuff king, "  the  great  magician  and 
genius  of  escape,  on  a  certain  sunny 
morning  a  few  weeks  ago.  He  sat 
with  his  back  to  the  light,  but 
though  his  face  was  in  shadow  the 
compelling  blue  grey  eyes,  and 
strong,  bronzed  features  glowed  with 
an  intensity  and  vitality  such  as  one 
rarely  meets. 

"Tell  me,"  I  begged,  "are  the 
feats  you  do  on  the  screen  different 
to  those  you  do  enact  before  the 
footlights  ?" 

"Entirely  different,' '  was  the  re- 

"In  fact,  some  of  the  biggest 
critics  have  said  that  I  am  more 
wonderful  on  the  screen  than  on  the 
stage.  That,  I  consider,  is  one  of  the 
greatest  compliments  ever  paid  me. 
But  it  has  taken  years  of  training 
to  produce  the  tricks,  or  problems, 
I  do  in  my  films." 

Houdini  has  made,  to  date,  three 
pictures.  The  first  of  these,  "The 
Master  Mystery,"  a  serial,  is  pott 
enjoying  enormous  popularity  all 
over  the  country.  The  remaining 
two,  "The  Grim 'Game."  and  "Ter- 
ror Island,"  are  feature  pictures. 
and  are  still  unreleased  by  Para- 
mount Artcraft  though  this  year  will 
see  the  first-nameo"  on  onr  seropns. 
In  the  makinsr  of  "The  Master  Mys- 
tery," Houdini  sustained  seven  bin  ok 
eyes  and  a  broken  wrist.  He  niso 
broke  his  wrist  whilst  making  "The 
Grim  Game." 


A  TENSE  MOMENT 

"During  the  screening  of  this  pic- 
ture I  thought  at  one  time  in  the 
course  of  the  action,  that  my  end  had 
come,"  he  told  me.  "I  was  3,000 
feet  up  in  an  aeroplane,  circling  over 
another  machine.  The  plan  was  for 
me  to  drop  from  my  ;plane  into  the 
cockpit  of  the  other  by  means  of  a 
rope.  I  was  dangling  from  the  rope- 
end  ready  for  the  leap.  Suddenly  a 
strong  wind  turned  the  lower  plane 
upwards,  the  two  machines  crashed 
together  —  nearly  amputating  my 
limbs — the  propellers  locked  in  a 
deadly  embrace,  and  we  were  spun 
round  and  round  and  round."  Hou- 
dini pronounced  the  latter  words 
with  a  peculiarly  apt  "whirring" 
intonation,  graphically  illustrating 
them  by  the  circular  action  of  the 
arms.  "But,"  he  continued,  "by  a 
miracle,  the  ;planes  were  righted  in- 
to a  half-glide,  and,  though  they 
were  smashed  into  splinters  by  their 
terrific  impact,  I  managed  to  escape 
unhurt.  As  usual,  Houdini  became 
undone!"  concluded  the  narrator 
with  a  laugh. 

HIS  GREATEST  STUNT 

"What  do  you  consider  the  great- 
est stunt  you  have  done  for  the 
screen?"  I  asked,  when  I  had  re- 
covered my  breath. 

"Another  incident  in  the  same 
picture,"  answered  Houdini.  "I 
stood  in  the  archway  of  a  prison, 
thus "  Here  he  took  up  a  crouch- 
ing position  in  the  corner  of  the 
room,  and  enacted  the  whole  thing 
for  my  benefit.  "A  heavily  loaded 
lorry,  going  at  twenty-two  or  four 
miles  an  hour  rolled  by  me.  I 
threw  myself  on  the  ground,  com- 
pletely rolling  over  between  the  fast 
revolving  fore  and  hind  wheels,  over 
and  over,  till  I  caught  the  trans- 
mission bar.  and  hung  there  for  very 
doar  life!  Thus  was  I  carried  to  the 
aid  of  the  heroine.  Though  my 
words  may  not  convey  very  much, 
this  was  my  greatest  stunt.  It  al- 
lowed for  no  rehearsals — I  said  to 


44 


the  camera-man,  "Get  this  now  or 
never! "  And  had  I  made  the  slight- 
est false  move  I  should  have  been 
crippled  for  life,  if  no't  killed." 

In  spite  01  the  risks  he  has  taken 
before  the  camera,  Houdini  has  a 
profound  love  and  admiration  for 
the  "movies." 

"I  think  the  film  profession  is  the 
greatest, ' '  he  told  me  ' '  and  that  the 
moving  picture  is  the  most  wonderful 
thing  in  the  world.  One  reason  why 
I  love  the  screen  is  because  it  has 
use  for  the  derelicts  of  life,  and 
gives  employment  to  tin  old  as  well 
as  the  young.  I  entered  the  pro- 
fession myself  because  I  know  I 
should  eventually  be  losing  my 
strength,  and  before  that  happened 
I  wanted  to  perpetuate  my  feats,  and 
by  so  doing  everyone,  in  all  parts 
of  the  world,  can  see  them.  Pictures 
have  increased  my  drawing  power 
two-hundredfold. ' ' 


Houdini,  as  related  at  the  com- 
mencement of  this  chat,  had  one  of 
his  greatest  compliments  paid  him 
by  critics  of  his  film  work,  but  be- 
fore I  left  him  he  confessed  that 
what  he  considers  the  very  greatest 
tribute  ever  made  to  his  unique 
achievements  is  recorded  in  a  dic- 
tionary! Turn  to  Funk  and  Wag- 
nail's  Standard  Dictionary,  and 
there  you  will  find  it: 

1  *  HOU  'DI-NI.    I,  hn  'di-ni ; 

2,  hn 'di-ni,  HARRY  (4-6,  1874). 
American  mystericist,  wizard,  and 
expert   in  extrication  and  self-re- 
lease   HOU'DI-NIZE    vt.      To   re- 
lease   or    extricate    oneself    from 
(confinement,  bonds,  or  the  like), 
as  by  wriggling  out." 
So,   taking   Houdini    all   in    all,    I 
may  consider  the  fact  that  this  won- 
der-man,   this    "expert    in    extrica- 
tion," made  no  effort  to  escape  from 
at  least  one  thing  this  interview! 

MAY  HERSCHEL  CLARKE. 


TF 


Sat] 


ROCHESTER   EVENING  TIMES 

1916 


[Nov.   4 


Minister  uses  Houdini' s  name  for  Sermon 


His  Art  of  Getting  Out  of  Things  as 
Topic  of  Sermon 

The  *>ame  of  Houdini,  who  has 
been  a  ^eadliner  at  a  local  theater 
this  week  will  figure  i  the  sermon 
at  the  Genesee  Street  Baptist  Church, 
to-morrow  morning,  where  the  pastor, 


Rev.  Clark,  will  talk  on  "Houdini 
and  the  Art  of  Getting  Out  of 
Things."  The  pastor,  however,  in- 
sures that  he  will  reveal  none  of  the 
vital  points  of  the  art,  but  declares 
that  the  sermon  will  be  entirely 
spiritual. 


45 


THE   SUN 


Pittsburg 


Monday,  Nov.  6th,  1916 


20,000  People  see  Houdini 
Thrilling  Air  Struggle. 


Swaying,  head  downwards,  like  a 
grotesque  human  pendulum,  50  feet 
above  the  pavement  in  front  of  The 
Sun  Building,  Harry  Iloudini, 
"handcuff  king,"  defier  of  locks, 
bars  and  bonds,  freed  himself  from 
the  grip  of  a  canvas,  leather-rein- 
forced straightjacket,  in  a  fraction 
more  than  three  minutes,  shortly 
after  12-40  o'clock  this  afternoon. 

The  waving  of  his  free  hands  and 
arms,  that  a  crowd  estimated  at  20,- 
000  has  seen  bound  by  two  attend- 
ants from  the  May  view  (old  Mar- 
shalsea)  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  told 
the  watchers  that  Houdini  had 
achieved  one  of  the  most  unique 
feats  in  his  strange  career.    As  he 


WIZARD  TIED  IN 
JACKET  IS  FREE 
IN     3     MINUTES. 

^TRAPPED  TIGHTLY  BY 
GUARDS  FROM  MAYVIEW 
HE    HANGS    HEAD    DOWN 

WARD. 
SUN  BUILDING   IS  SCENE. 
WHILE  SPINNING  DIZZILY 
FIFTY  FEET  ABOVE  PAVE- 
MENT HE  ESCAPES  FROM 

BONDS. 


was  lowered  swiftly  to  the  ground, 
a  great  cheer  arose,  followed  by  an- 
other and  another  as  he  stood  up- 
right and  bowed  to  the  throng  which 
not  only  packed  the  streets  but  filled 
every  window  and  roof  top  within 
view  of  the  scene. 

WIZARD  IS  ON  TIME 

Urbane,  smiling,  the  elusive  Hou- 
dini appeared  in  the  office  of  "The 
Sun"  at  12o 'clock.  R.  D.  Polling 
and  H.  Guthrie,  the  two  attendants 
from  Mayview  detailed  to  truss  him 
up,  awaited  him,  and  with  them  the 
straight-jacket,  in  a  satshel. 

Houdini  shook  hands  with  both 
men,  speaking  humorously  of  his  po- 
sition as  substitute  for  the  deranged 


46 


persons  the  two  Attendants  ordinar- 
ily handle.  The  two  men,  clad  in  the 
white  uniforms  used  by  them  when 
on  duty,  surveyed  their  voluntary 
victim  noted  his  short,  stocky  form, 
his  powerful  arms  and  shoulders,  his 
steady,  bright  eyes. 

Both  have  had  long  experience  in 
binding  frenzied  men.  Both  were  de- 
termined, they  told  Houdini,  to  use 
the  full  resource  of  that  experience 
iu  binding  him.  They  knew  the 
prowess  of  the  man  the^"  had  to  deal 
with.  They  did  not  comment  upon 
the  outcome  of  the  test. 

They  were  there,  they  said,  to  do 
their  work  as  best  they  knew  how. 

Houdini  urged  speed  of  action,  and 
absolute  surety  in  fastening  tn*.  in- 
numerable straps  tn«  straight- 
jacket. 

" Treat  me,"  he  advised,  smilling, 
"as  you  would  the  most  dangerous 
of  the  criminal  insane. " 

EVERY  MOVE  IS  WATCHED 

The  strait-jacket  was  taken  out  of 
the  satchel.  The  handcuff  king  ex- 
amined it  carefully,  while  a  group 
of  persons  looked  on.  Not  a  move 
he  made  was  lost.  He  dropped  the 
piece  of  canvas  and  leather  careless- 
ly, smiled  again,  and  said: 

"Very  good.    Are  we  ready ?" 

It  was  almost  12-30  o'clock.  Hou- 
dini glanced  out  the  window,  and 
again  his  characteristic,  quiet  smile 
came  to  his  face  as  he  saw  Wood 
street  and  Liberty  avenue  congest- 
ed from  wall  to  wall  with  closely 
packed,  restless  humanity. 

Then  a  white-clad  attendant  on 
each  side,  he  went  downstairs  to  the 
street  to  be  bound. 

A  suppressed  shout  came  from  the 
crowd  as  he  appeared  in  the  door- 
way of  The  Sun  building.  It  in- 
creased in  volume  as  with  the  at- 
tendants and  two  members  of  The 
Sun"  at  12  o'clock.  R.  D.  Polling 
wagon  that  had  been  pulled  up  on 
the  pavement,  and  that  was  serving 
as  a  stage. 

Above  him,  like  a  gallows,  a  single 
beam  projected  from  a  window  at 
the  top  story  of  the  building,  and  a 
rope  swung  clear,  coiling  in  sinister 
fashion  at  his  feet. 

Houdini  had  removed  the  outer 
clothing  from  the  upper  part  of  his 
body. 

"Ready,"  he  said. 


STRAPS  ARE  FASTENED 

The  two  attendants  pressed  close. 
His  arms  were  inserted  in  the  long, 
closed  sleeves  of  the  strait  jacket. 
One  of  the  attendants  clasped  him 
about  the  body,  as  if  fearing  he 
would  make  some  mad  effort  to  es- 
cape. The  other  standing  behind 
him,  fastened  strap  after  strap,  with 
a  steady  deftness  that  made  both 
for  security  and  speed,  and  revealed 
long  practice. 

"Make  it  tight,"  came  the  quiet 
word  from  the  prisoner. 

The  man's  knees  went  up  for  pur- 
chase in  the  small  of  Houdini 's  back. 
Using  apparently  every  ounce  of 
strength  in  his  broad-shouldered  six- 
foot  body,  the  attendant  drew  the 
big  strap  through  the  buckle  until  it 
would  not  yield  even  a  sixteenth  of 
an  inch  more.  He  caught  it  there 
and  made  it  fast. 

Then  the  arms  of  the  prisoner  were 
crossed  over  his  body,  and  the  ends 
of  those  closed  sleeves  were  brought 
around  in  back.  Again  the  knee 
was  brought  into  use.  Again  the 
strap  was  pulled  to  its  highest  ten- 
sion. 

The  crowd  watched,  stirred  with  a 
constant  murmur  and  movement. 

Then  Houdini 's  ankles  were  fast- 
ened to  the  rope,  by  a  special  appli- 
ance that  prevented  injury,  but  in- 
sured safety. 

A  word  was  spoken.  The  two  at- 
tendants seized  the  bound  man  *s 
body.  Workmen  drew  the  ropo 
steadily  through  the  pulleys.  Hou- 
dini 's  feet  went  up,  and  as  his  body 
cleared  the  platform,  it  was  released. 
HANGS  IN  MID-AIR 

The  handcuff  king  dangled  head 
downward.  Each  moment  he  was 
drawn  higher,  swaying  slightly,  spin- 
ning dizzily.  Up-up,  past  the  win- 
dows in  the  fifth  story  of  the  Sun 
building.     Houdini  was  drawn. 

Then  he  hung  still. 

Only  for  a  second.  While  watchers 
gleamed  in  the  crowd  below,  the 
handcuff  king  was  seen  to  struggle, 
not  frantically,  but  with  a  steady, 
systematic  swelling  and  contracting 
of  muscles,  and  almost  imperceptible 
lithe,  wrigglings  of  the  torso. 

The  struggle  went  on.  One  minute 
— two — then  three 


47 


Would  he  do  it  f  Hundreds  in  the 
crowd  undoubtedly  were  asking  that 
question.  From  above  came  an  in- 
articulate shout.  The  muffled  arms 
writhed  one  after  another  over 
Houdini 's  head.  His  hand,  still  en- 
cased in  the  sleeves  of  the  strait- 
jacket,  fumbled  quickly  and  effec- 
tively with  the  buckles  at  his  back. 
Another  contortion  and  the  strait- 
jacket  slipped  down  over  his  chest, 
over  his  head,  and  was  flung  from 
his  arms  to  the  street,  in  a  crumpled 
heap. 

Houdini  was  free. 

The    arms    waved.      Houdini    had 
triumphed — as  he  always  triumphs. 
Less    than   a    minute    later,    while 


the  crowd's  cheers  still  rang  against 
the  grey  walls  of  surrounding  build- 
ings, he  slipped  down  the  face  of 
the  building  to  the  platform.  The 
attendants  received  him  in  a  twink- 
ling, and  he  stood  erect,  unconscious- 
ly throwing  back  his  broad  should- 
ers. 

The  little  man  with  the  touch  of 
grey  at  his  temples  bowed  quietly, 
still  with  that  imperturbable  smile. 
And  the  crowd  cheered  him  again, 
before  it  began  slowly  to  dissolve. 

Houdini  duplicated  this  feat  at  the 
Boston  Post,  Boston,  Mass.,  Decem- 
ber 22,  1921,  drawing  the  biggest 
crowd  that  ever  crushed  into  Tre- 
mont  Street. 


Trophy 
won  by 
Houdini. 


The  accompanying  illustration  is  the  prize  offered  by  the  Australian 
Aerial  League  for  the  first  successful  flight  on  a  heavier  than  air  mac- 
nine.  Won  by  Houdini  March  16,  1910,  Digger's  Rest,  near  Melbourne 
Australia.  Houdini  piloted  his  own  machine — a  Voision  Biplane  equipped 
with  a  E.N.V.  60.80  H.P.  Motor.  During  his  Australian  Tour  Houdini  btM© 
18  successful  flights. 


48 


LONDON,  EN (i LAND 

HOLBORN    EMPIRE    BESIEGED    BY    CROWD    INSIDE 

AND     OUTSIDE— UNPARALLELED     SCENES 

WITNESSED  IN  HIGH  HOLBORN— 

POLICE  RESERVES  CALLED  OUT 

A  packed  house,  to  show  its  disapproval  of  the  manage- 
ment's action,  remains  at  the  Holborn  Empire,  from  2 :00  to 
9:00  P.  M.,  waiting  for  Houdini's  appearance  as  advertised. 
Police  forces  were  called  out  as  the  matinee  crowd,  refusing 
to  leave  the  theatre,  the  evening  crowd  blockaded  traffic, 
being  unable  to  gain  admittance.  Unparalleled  scenes  wit- 
nessed in  High  Holborn. 

"THE  PERFORMER"  LONDON  ENGLAND, 
DECEMBER  15, 1910. 

A  STAND  FOR  JUSTICE 

Houdini's  Protest 

"For  some  mysterious  reason,  surprisingly  little  attention 
has  been  given  in  the  daily  papers  to  a  remarkable  "scene" 
at  the  Holborn  Empire  last  Thursday,  when  Houdini  made 
a  plucky  and  public-spirited  protest  against  prevailing  ma- 
tinee methods.  We  must,  we  suppose,  attribute  to  the  present 
obsession  of  politics  the  scant  attention  given  to  a  very  un- 
usual incident,  of  interest  alike  to  the  public  and  the  profes- 
sion. 

"Having  received  an  intimation  from  the  management 
that,  although  he  was  topping  the  week's  bill,  his  services 
would  not  be  required  at  the  Thursday  matinee,  Wing  to 
the  length  of  the  programme,'  Houdini  expressed  himself 
perfectly  agreeable  to  this  arrangemnt,  subject  to  the  condi- 
tion that  due  intimation  should  be  given  to  the  public  that 
he  would  not  be  appearing. 

"This  condition  not  being  complied  with,  he  took  an  oppor- 
tunity of  going  on  to  the  stage  at  the  conclusion  of  one  of  the 
matinee  turns  in  order  to  quietly  explain  the  reason  for  his 
non-appearance  and  to  show  that  it  was  not  his  fault  that  he 
was  breaking  faith  with  the  public.     He  did  not  urge  the 

49 


audience,  as  was  stated  in  some  reports,  to  stay  until  he 
appeared,  but  said  that  he  assumed  some  at  least  had  come  to 
see  him  perform  and  that  it  seemed  to  him  such  were  cer- 
tainly to  have  their  money  back  if  they  did  not  see  him. 

"The  performance  went  on  quietly  until  "God  Save  the 
King/'  when  the  audience  took  the  matter  into  its  own  hands. 
and  refused  to  disperse,  calling  for  Houdini  to  appear.  After 
a  scene  of  considerable  excitement,  150  persons  ultimately 
accepted  the  management's  offer  of  vouchers  for  another  per- 
formance and  left  the  building,  but  the  great  bulk  of  the  au- 
dience remained  until  after  the  conclusion  of  Houdini's  per- 
formance at  the  first  evening  house,  when  they  trooped  out,. 
leaving  the  place  only  a  quarter  full. 

The  queues  which  formed  up  for  the  first  house  had  in  the 
main  to  be  accommodated  at  the  second  house,  and  great 
difficulty  was  experienced  in  controlling  the  further  arrivals 
for  the  second  performance. 

"The  audience's  just  appreciation  of  Houdini's  protest  was 
voiced  in  the  remarks  of  a  Labor  leader  who  helped  to  beguile 
the  interval  between  the  afternoon  and  evening  houses  by 
making  a  speech.  He  said  that  he  had  frequently  attended 
such  matinees,  and  had  always  attributed  the  frequent  failure 
of  some  one  or  more  well-known  artists  to  appear  to  his  (or 
her)  personal  indifference  or  indolence,  but  that  now  they 
knew  the  real  reason  why  the  public  were  disappointed. 

"In  view  of  a  managerial  allegation  to  the  afternoon  audi- 
ence that  Houdini  was  not  allowed  to  appear  because  he  had 
broken  his  contract,  we  quote  from  a  further  considered  pro- 
test with  which  Houdini  prefaced  his  performance  at  the  first 
house  in  the  evening.    He  said: 

"  'Before  proceeding  with  my  performance  this  evening,  I 
believe  that  there  is  an  explanation  due  to  a  great  many  who 
are  assembled  here  as  to  the  cause  of  my  non-appearance  here 
this  afternoon,  and  if  it  would  interest  you  to  hear,  I  will 
explain.  I  wish  to  inform  you  that  it  is  positively  no  fault  of 
mine,  because  I  was  here  in  the  building,  ready  to  work,  but 
the  management  refused  to  allow  me  to  go  on.  I  will  read  a 
number  of  letters  that  I  have  here,  which  thoroughly  explain 
the  case,  and  I  wish  to  inform  you  that  I  have  plaved  a  good 
many  weeks  on  this  tour,  and  never  knew  exactly  where  I 
was  going  until  a  few  days  ahead.  I  was  billed  to  appear  at 
the  Holbora  a  short  time  ago,  and,  without  any  notification 

50 


whatever,  I   was  sent  to  Woolwich,  and  the  public  received 
no  explanation  why  I  did  not  appear  here. 

"  'Very  likely  a  great  many  thought  that  I  had  broken  faith 
with  the  public,  and  last  night  I  received  a  letter — dated  the 
5th — after  the  second  performance  (about  iio'clock)  which 
was  33  hours  later  than  dated,  notifying  me  that  my  services 
were  not  required  for  the  matinee  performance/ 

"Having  quoted  this  letter  and  his  reply  stating,  the  con- 
dition on  which  he  was  agreeable  to  the  arrangement,  Houdini 
continued: 

"  'Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  wanted  to  keep  faith  with 
the  public,  and  informed  the  management  that  I  would  give 
the  salary  that  I  was  earning  at  the  matinee  to  the  V.  A.  B.  F. 
if  they  would  only  allow  me  to  appear,  as  I  knew  my  reputa- 
tion was  at  stake.  Being  billed,  and  not  appearing,  what  would 
the  public  think?  Despite  this,  I  was  not  allowed  to  appear, 
and  I  trust  that  those  who  are  assembled  here  this  evening 
will  see  my  motive  in  allowing  the  public  to  know  the  real 
cause  of  my  non-appearance,  and  that 'it  was  positively  not 
my  fault/ 

"The  first  result  of  this  dignified  protest  was  that  Houdini's 
services  were,  notwithstanding  notice  to  the  contrary,  re- 
quisitioned for  the  Saturday  matinee." 


Houdini,  in  his  speech  to  the  audience  that  evening,  was 
forcible  and  to  the  point,  informing  them  that  it  was  the 
greatest  compliment  that  had  ever  been  paid  him — an  audi- 
ence waiting  seven  hours  in  a  theatre  for  him — and  that  he 
would  never  forget  it — and  he  never  will. 


Boston  Daily  Globe,  March  19,  1906. 

HOUDINI  ESCAPES  FROM  CITY  PRISON 

Handcuffed,  Ironed,  and  Locked  in  Cell,   He   takes  only  16 
Minutes  to  Get  Out  and  over  the  Wall 

Harry  Houdini,  the  young  man  who,  apparently,  cannot  be 
held  in  restraint  by  steel  bars,  handcuffs,  prison  locks,  or  other 
restraining  measures,  gave  the  Boston  Police  Department 
a  terrific  jolt  this  forenoon  when  he  escaped  from  double  con- 
finement in  the  city  prison,  commonly  known  as  the  Tombs, 


51 


SUPT.WllUAMHPieRCt, 
WHO  LOCKED  CEJ-LIXXR3 


a  prison  which  the  heads  of 
the  police  department  had 
confidently  believed  to  be 
escape  proof. 

Superintendent  of  Police 
William  H.  Pierce  person- 
ally superintended  the  con- 
finement of  Houdini,  him- 
self locked  the  wizard  into 
a  cell  on  the  second  tier  of 
the  prison,  after  he  had 
clamped  handcuffs  on  his 
wrists  and  leg-  irons  about 
his  ankles,  and  the  super- 
intendent's face  wore  a 
smile  of  confidence  and  as- 
surance after  he  had  locked  the  cell  doors  and  went  down 
into  the  office  of  the  prison  to  await  results. 

The  superintendent's  smile  didn't  wholly  come  off  when,  a 
few  minutes  later,  he  learned  that  Houdini  not  only  had 
escaped  from  his  cell,  but  that  he  had  escaped  from  the  prison, 
and  was  nearly  a  half-mile  away;  but  the  smile  was  faded  and 
frayed  at  the  edges,  and  no  questioning  could  get  the  superin- 
tendent to  say  what  he  thought  of  the  wonderful  performance. 
All  that  could  be  gotten  out  of  him  was,  "I  have  nothing 
to  say." 

Heretofore  the  police  have  believed  that  no  one  locked  in  a 
cell  at  the  Tombs  could  possibly  get  out;  but  Houdini  not  only 
got  out,  but  he  opened  door  after  door  after  he  had  removed  the 
handcuffs  and  leg  irons,  and  walked  from  one  part  of  the 
prison  to  another  with  apparently  as  much  freedom  as  though 
he  wasn't  met  every  few  feet  with  a  lock  that  had  been 
considered  impregnable. 

CLOSELY  SEARCHED  FOR  KEYS. 

Briefly,  here  is  just  what  happened:  Houdini  had  secured 
permission  from  Superintendent  Pierce  to  make  an  effort  to 
escape  from  the  city  prison,  and  this  forenoon,  in  the  presence 
of  about  30  men,  the  superintendent  let  Houdini  into  cell  No. 
77  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  Tombs,  where  Houdini,  in  the 
presence  of  the  witnesses  of  the  test,  removed  every  stitch 


52 


ostoti  Journal,  Tuesday,  March  20,  ipoti. . 

5HACKLED  AND  LOCKED  IN,  HOUDINI  BREAKS  JAIL 

:entral  figures  in  wizard  houdinfs  mystifying  jail  escape  and 
diagram  of  his  movements. 


of  his  clothing,  which  he  left  lying  on  the  bunk  in  the  cell. 
When  he  came  out,  Capt.  Clarence  A.  Swan,  the  keeper  of  the 
prison,  locked  the  cell  ioor  upon  Houdini's  clothing,  and  then 
the  young  man  was  UJten  to  the  second  floor  of  the  block  of 


Inside  the  Cell  at  the  City  Tombs,  Boston,  Mass. 


cells,  where  Superintendent  Pierce  and  a  number  of  the  men 
witnessing  the  test  searched  his  hair  for  possible  concealed 
keys  or  other  instruments.  Not  a  thing  was  found,  and 
Houdini  even  asked  to  have  his  feet  examined  so  there  would 

54 


be  no  question  of  his  hewing 

a  key  concealed  between  his 
toes,  and  this  was  done. 

Theri  Sttpeinnteiidteiit  PiST* 
took  a  pair  of  the  fnost  dp- 
proved  handcuffs  used  in  the" 
police  department  and  fast- 
ened them  securely  about 
Houdini's  wrists,  and  on  his 


SUP'T.  P/ERCE 
LEFT  HIM  5HACKKD 
Arto  HAnGcu^'f eo 


supt  Pierce 

SAT  CHUCKUNG 
m  TH&  CAPtAlfi%$i 
OFFfCC   WAjr/NGl 

for.  houOini  re* 
WHISTLE  FOR  HIM. 


thi   SIXTEEN    MHXUTtt     AF 
aeiMC   LOCKED    UP    HE     ESCAPE* 
OVER.    THF    WALL  . 


Caricatures  by  permission  of  Boston  Post. 

bare  ankles  he  clamped  a  pair 
of  tested  steel  leg  irons  so 
tightly  that  the  iron  sank  into 
the  flesh.  After  that  Houdini 
was  locked  in  cell  No.  60,  and 
Superintendent  Pierce  and  the 
witnesses  went  downstairs  and 
out  into  the  office,  expecting 
Houdini  would  go  there,  pro- 
viding he  got  out  of  his  cell. 


THE  SUP'T  FOUND  THE  SHACKLES 
AMD  HANDCUFFS _8UT  MO  HOUDlNt. 


55 


and  the  police  officials  who  were  present  seemed  to  feel  pretty 
confident  that  he  couldn't  do  that.  This  feeling  was  shared 
by  some  of  the  outsiders  present,  who  could  not  bring  them- 
selves to  believe  that  it  could  be  done. 

The  only  condition  Houdini  attached  to  his  performance 
was  that  no  one  should  be  allowed  to  go  into  the  part  of  the 
prison  where  he  was  confined  to  watch  him  escape,  and  the 
superintendent  and  the  witnesses  respected  that  condition, 
and  most  of  them  stayed  in  the  captain's  office.     A  few  of  the 


Photo  with  permission  of  the  Boston  Globe. 
Over  the  Wall  at  the  City  Tombs,  Boston,  Mass. 


witnesses,  however,  went  out  into  Somerset  Street  to  wait  and 
watch ;  for,  knowing  Houdini,  they  were  prepared  to  see  him 
come  out  anywhere. 

These  confident  ones  were  rewarded  for  their  trust,  for  16 
minutes  after  Houdini  had  been  locked,  naked,  handcuffed,  and 
ironed  by  the  legs,  into  cell  60,  he  was  seen  running,  fully 
dressed,  except  that  he  had  not  put  on  his  collar  and  tie, 
across  the  prison  yard,  to  climb  up  the  wall  leading  into 
Somerset  Street,  to  vault  the  iron  railing  at  the  top,  and  then 
to  leg  it  like  a  scared  rabbit  over  the  hill  in  the  direction  of 
Keith's  Theatre. 


56 


J  J 


THE  LITERARY  HOUDINI 

As  is  the  case  with  many  great  men,  the  gift  of  being  able 
to  do  many  things,  and  to  do  each  thing  well,  is  Houdini's, 
who  besides  his  achievements  as  a  mystifier  has  also  won  wide 
recognition  as  an  author.  That  he  has  found  time  to  write 
a  great  deal  is  attested  by  his  list  of  books,  namely:  "Miracle 
Mongers  and  Their  Methods/'  "The  Unmasking  of  Robert 
Houdin,"  "The  Sane  Side  of  Spiritualism,"  "The  Right  Way 
to  do  Wrong,"  "Magic  Made  Easy,"  "My  Training  and  my 
Tricks,"  "Paper  Prestidigitation,"  "Handcuff  Secrets,"  "Magic- 
al Rope  Ties  and  Escapes,"  "Good  Night  Stories  for  Children," 
"Dan  Cupid  the  Magician"  (a  series)  and  "Magicians' 
Romances."  Numerous  magazine  articles  and  stories  swell 
his  literary  output  to  greater  proportions.  Editor  for  two 
years  on  standard  work  of  magic,  "The  Conjurors  Magazine." 

In  addition  he  has  also  written  the  stories  for  the  feature 
films  in  which  he  was  starred,  namely,  "The  Man  From  Be- 
yond" and  "Haldane  of  the  Secret  Service,"  which  were  pic- 
ttirized  by  his  own  producing  organization,  Houdini  Picture 
Corporation ;  "The  Grim  Game"  and  "Terror  Island,"  written 
in  collaboration  with  Arthur  B.  Reeve  and  John  W.  Grey, 
produced  by  Famous  Players-Lasky  Corporation. 


HOUDINI  PICTURE  CORPORATION 

In  1921,  upon  returning  from  his  triumphant  tour  of  Great 
Britain,  Houdini  orgnized  his  own  film  producing  company 
for  the  purpose  of  making  special  feature  pictures.  The  com- 
pany, incorporated  as  Houdini  Picture  Corporation,  capitalized 
at  $500,000,  began  operations  in  the  spring. 

At  the  time  of  this  writing  two  features  have  been  com- 
pleted— "The.  Man  from  Beyond"  and  "Haldane  of  the  Secret 
Service."  The  first  is  characterized  by  those  who  have  seen 
it  at  private  pre-release  showings  as  the  most  unusual  picture 
ever  screened,  containing,  as  it  does,  originality  of  thought, 
novelty  of  treatment,  and  a  thrilling  finish  that  encompasses 
any  thrilling  situation  yet  produced  for  motion  pictures. 

The  second  picture,  with  interlocking  scenes  taken  abroad, 
tells  a  mystery  story  and  likewise  demonstrates  the  ingenuity 
and  resourcefulness  of  Houdini  as  producer,  author  and  star. 

Both  pictures  will  soon  be  released  to  the  public. 

57 


Scenes  from  Photoplays 


a 

JESSE    L.    LASKY 
Presents 

1          \>WTr%*       *                     ~  ~       v- "' 

HOUDINI 

IN 

H»          Jjfl 

"The 

^^//k          El    ^ 

Grim 

r""  i!          *-$■  • 

Game" 

^H 

A  Paramount-Artcraft 
Picture 

— wk  M 

■P 

BlHi  til 

This  picture  con- 
tains the  only  air- 
plane collision  in  the 
clouds  ever  photo- 
graphed. 

$1,000  reward  to 
anyone  proving  the 
collision  in  the 
clouds  is  not  genu- 
ine. 


58 


Starring   Houdini 


JESSE  L.  LASKY 
Presents 


HOUDINI 


IN 


"TERROR 
ISLAND" 


A  Para  mount -Arte  raft 
Picture 


The  most  amazing 
under  water  scenes 
ever  enacted  were  re- 
corded by  the  camera 
for  "Terror  Island." 


68 


Scenes  from  Photoplays 


HOUDINI  PICTURE 

CORP. 

Presents 


HOUDINI 


in 


"The 
Man 
From 
Beyond" 


Shortly  to  be 
Released 


60 


Starring   Houdini 


HOUDINI  PICTURE 
CORP. 

Presents 


j 

H    O    XJ    O    I    N    I 


in 


"Haldane 

of  the 

Secret 

Service" 


An  International 
Mystery  Drama 
shortly  to  be  re- 
leased. 


61 


Picture  Plays,  Confessions  Album. 


No.   14.— MR.  HARRY  HOUDINI 


1.  What  is  your  favorite  theater? 

All  the  world  is  a  theater  to 
jae. 

2.  Which  is  your  favorite  hobhy? 

Browsing  in  old  bookstalls, 
seeking  old  dramatic  items  for 
my  library. 

3.  Which  is  your  favorite  pastime? 

Out  door  athletics  and  long 
distance  swims. 

1.     Which  is  your  favorite  song? 
' '  Auld  Lang  Syne. ' ' 

5.     Which  is  your  favorite  sweet- 
meat? 

Candied  fruits. 


6. 


Mrs.  HARRY  HOUDINI 

What  is  your  idea  of  com- 
fort? 
Seated  in  a  large  arm  chair 

in   library  and  hearing  Mrs. 

Houdini    call    up:      "Young 

man  your  lunch  is  ready. " 


7.  Which  is  your  unlucky  day? 

Haven't  any;  an  unfortunate 
incident  at  any  time  simply 
builds  a  foundation  for  some- 
thing better. 

8.  What  is  your  favorite  motto? 

"And  this,  too — shall  pass 
away. ' ' 


10. 


When   have   you   felt   at   your 
worst? 

Once  when  sailing  round  the 
world,  at  a  longitude  ox  80',  we 
had  two  Tuesdays  in  one  week 
and  no  Wednesday,  which  meant 
losing  a  Christmas,  and  I  was 
seasick  at  the  time.  It  will  be 
an  awful  thing  to  eclipse  my 
painful  anguish. 

What  is  your  pet  aversion? 

The  bald-headed  man  who 
says:  "Ah,  I  remember  you 
when  I  was  a  boy." 


11. 


MY  MOTHER 

What   is  your  greatest  am- 
bition? 
To  live  a  life  and  die  being 

worthy    of    the    mother    who 

bore  me. 


12. 


13. 


11. 


What  is  your  favorite  holiday 
resort? 

Hollywood,  California. 
Who  is  your  favorite  author? 
My  dad. 

What  is  your  idea  of  misery? 

Arriving  in  a  town  at  mid- 
night on  a  drizzly  wet,  foggy 
night,  and  finding  all  the  hotels 
full  up. 


62 


Snap  shot  photograph  of  packing  case  containing  six  hundred  pounds 
of  iron  weights  and  Houdini,  as  it  was  dropped  into  New  York  Bay. 
Houdini  escaped  from  the  box  at  the  bottom  of  the  bay  in  two  minutes 
and  fifty-five  seconds. 


63 


aw 


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<u  >  o> 

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03 

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«    ©  <y 

ft 

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64 


How  w 

JAMES   H.   HAWHI,  W.   C»»TSON  U**EW. 

WftftOffk  OEPUTY  WARDEN, 

United  <§iate§  @I<ail, 

9$£*&«^4»,  2D.  *&., January..6th, /#?6 


This  is  to  certify  that  Mr.  Harry  Houdlni ,  at  the  United  States 
Jail  today,  was  stripped  stark  naked,  thoroughly  searched,  and  locked 
up  in  cell  No.  2  of  the  South  Wing, --the  cell  in  which  Charles  J. 
Guiteau,  the  assassinator  of  President  Garfield,  was  confined  dur- 
ing hie  incarceration,  from  the  date  of  his  commitment,  July  2nd, 
l88l,  until  the  day  on  which  he  was  executed,  June  30th,  1882. 
Kr.  Houdini,  In  about  two  minutes,  managed  to  escape  from  that  cell, 
and  then  broke  into  the  cell  in  which  his  clothing  was  locked  up. 
He  then  proceeded  to  release  from  their  cells  all  the  prisoners  on 
the  ground  floor.  There  was  positively  no  chance  for  any  confed- 
eracy or  collusion. 
>    Mr,  Houdini  accomplished  all  of  the  above-mentioned  facts,  in 
addition  to  putting  on  all  his  clothing,  in  twenty-one  minuteB, 

Warden  United  States  Jail,  D.  C. 


AUDUBON  PRINTERS 
MITCHEL  SQUARE 
N  K  W  YORK 


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